SAM Ponder doesn’t look back on her time at ESPN with any ill will.
Despite being laid off a year ago, Ponder is still sharing glowing reviews of College GameDay.
Sam Ponder is speaking positively about College GameDay after being fired by ESPN[/caption]
Ponder previously served as a reporter for College GameDay[/caption]
Ponder previously served as a reporter for College GameDay and host of Sunday NFL Countdown.
However, she was part of ESPN’s sweeping layoffs to cut costs last year.
Even though she didn’t go out the way she wanted, she still speaks positively about the network.
Ponder took to social media recently to answer a question about her relationship with the personalities on the show.
“David Pollack is stuck with me as the big brother I never (jk) wanted, and I was texting with Kirk Herbstreit the day before I got fired,” Ponder said to a follower.
“Rece Davis is my forever favorite. I’ll never forget how all 3 of them loved Jesus and treated people.
“I will be a ‘College GameDay’ fan as long as they continue to make it about the people.
“It’s such a special show.”
Ponder worked on College GameDay from 2012 to 2016.
She was laid off in August of 2024, around the same time Robert Griffin III was laid off.
It was widely speculated at the time of her firing that Ponder could have been let go for her political beliefs.
She publicly endorsed President Donald Trump before her firing.
However, ESPN insists her firing was due to budgetary reasons, not political ones.
Ponder hasn’t made her way back into television yet after her firing, but she still has a large social media following.
How the 12-team CFP works
The first ever 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off on Friday, December 20.
But who will get in?
The highest four ranked conference champions will all be guaranteed a first-round bye into the quarterfinals around New Year.
The fifth highest ranked conference champion will also be assured a place, regardless of if they’re ranked in the top 12 teams in the nation.
That ensures a champion from one of the second tier of conferences will get a chance to play for the national championship.
Teams seeded five through eight will host a first round playoff game on Friday, 20 or Saturday 21 December.
And they will go up against the teams seeded nine through 12.
All of these rankings and seedings are decided by the CFP committee – based on record and strength of schedule among other factors.
This year’s National Championship Game will take place on Monday, January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The former ESPN host has over 600,000 followers on her Instagram account.
Most of her recent posts are updates about her family’s activities throughout the year.
She has many posts about her time at ESPN further down her timeline.
Ponder went to the Super Bowl in 2024, which was one of her last posts before being fired.
