ESPN May Turn to Scott Van Pelt To Fill the ‘Around the Horn’ Timeslot

An important chapter in ESPN history came to an end earlier this year, when Around the Horn was canceled after 23 years.

For a generation of fans, afternoons without Around the Horn airing at 5:00 PM ET were unthinkable. Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end.

Photo: Crossing Board

Almost as soon as the news broke that ESPN was canceling Around the Horn, fans began to speculate about what the network would do to replace the show.

So far, an afternoon edition of SportsCenter has filled the time slot, serving as the lead-in to Pardon the Interruption.

Photo: ESPN

Now, however, we may finally have a hint about ESPN’s long-term plans.

ESPN’s Planned Reunion

According to a new report from The Athletic, Scott Van Pelt has emerged as the top candidate to fill the former Around the Horn time slot.

Photo The Oklahoman

Van Pelt, of course, is one of ESPN’s biggest stars, anchoring the network’s late-night SportsCenter and hosting Monday Night Countdown.

If ESPN had gotten its way, the 5 PM timeslot would have seen Van Pelt reunite with longtime partner Ryen Russillo, who left the Worldwide Leader in 2017. For years, Rusillo and Van Pelt delivered one of ESPN Radio’s most-popular shows.

Photo: LAist

“That was a bit of a selfish concept by me, because I was such a huge fan of those two when they were together years ago,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus explained. “It just so happened that Ryen was exploring his future on a similar timeline. He ended up doing something different.”

Photo: ESPN

As Magnus notes, Rusillo recently left his home at the Ringer to become a free agent. Eventually, however, he signed with Barstool Sports, not ESPN.

Van Pelt Could Still Move to Afternoons

Even without Rusillo in the picture, Van Pelt remains the top candidate to assume the 5 PM timeslot. According to Magnus, the timing may finally be right.

Photo: New York Post

“I don’t want to speak for him, but I think there is a limit for how long people can have their lives upside-down from working late nights,” Magnus said. “This could provide some relief in that regard.”

While ESPN is clearly determined to develop a new show for weekday afternoons, the network does not have to rush things.

Photo: Sports Media Watch

According to Magnus, the current 5 PM SportsCenter is out-rating Around the Horn.

“We are pleasantly surprised by how (“SportsCenter”) has a bigger audience than what ‘Around The Horn’ was doing,” Magnus said. “We are looking at taking all the time we need to get it right.”

Photo: MickeyBlog