ESPN Fires Tennessee Legend - But There's A Catch

Amid changes at ESPN, former Tennessee standout Charles Davis pivots to CBS, continuing his legacy in sports broadcasting.

Charles Davis’s run at ESPN appears to be over, but the veteran broadcaster is hardly disappearing from the football landscape.

Andrew Marchand reported Tuesday afternoon that Davis is part of ESPN’s latest round of layoffs. Davis had been covering the NFL Draft and the Combine for NFL Network, which is now owned by ESPN. The report marks another shakeup for a broadcaster who has spent decades around the game, both on the field and behind the mic.

Even with that change, Davis already has his next major assignment lined up. CBS announced in March that he will be its lead college football analyst, working in the booth with Brad Nessler. He is set to take over Big Ten coverage from Gary Danielson, who retired after the 2025 college football season.

Marchand also posted on X, “NEWS: Longtime NFL Network analyst Charles Davis is expected to be let go, The Athletic has learned.

Davis remains the No. 1 college football analyst on CBS' Big Ten afternoon games.”

Davis is 61 and was a four-year starter at Tennessee from 1983-86. He also spent brief time with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987.

His broadcasting career dates back to 1997, when he got his first analyst job with Fox Sports South. Since then, he has worked across TBS, TNT, FOX and CBS.

From 2020-24, Davis was part of CBS’s No. 2 NFL broadcast team with Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn.

The latest ESPN layoffs have also included Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Karl Ravech and Tom Pelissero.

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