ESPN has confirmed that Pat McAfee will now front its flagship "Monday Night Football" pregame coverage, cementing his status as the network's leading on-air personality ahead of established figures such as Stephen A Smith. The decision reflects ESPN's continued push to build its sports coverage around McAfee's brand, following his rise from NFL punter to one of the network's most prominent broadcasters and podcasters.

Announced on Wednesday, the move sees McAfee join the "Monday Night Football" pregame show for the coming season, with his daily programme set to broadcast live from the site of each match-up. He is also expected to feature as a main analyst during ESPN's pregame and half-time coverage of the network's first Super Bowl broadcast, due in February, while continuing his existing role with "College GameDay".