When former Ohio State and Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith announced he was leaving ESPN as a college football analyst, the next step in his television career seemed rather obvious. On Sunday night, it became a reality.
SI’s Richard Deitsch tweeted that Smith was joining Fox Sports along with Big Ten Network:
.@Robert26Smith has been hired by Fox Sports and @BigTenNetwork to work as a studio analyst this fall.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) May 1, 2016
With an eye towards what’s coming, Smith’s Twitter bio says “pending.”
Smith was a pretty good analyst at ESPN, but never really reached the top of the network – maybe because he didn’t have a particular conference or fanbase to troll.
He’s a perfect fit for the Fox/BTN conglomerate, especially considering Fox Sports just picked up half of the Big Ten rights package. Smith should help fortify a list of studio analysts at Fox including Joel Klatt, Matt Leinart, and Dave Wannstedt. One might expect him to have a similar role as another former Buckeye, Jim Jackson, who traverses back and forth between the networks in a floating role.
Overall, Smith is a very good hire that should help bring some more credibility to Fox’s efforts to build up their college football coverage, especially in the eyes of Big Ten fans.
Just please God don’t make him debate things with Clay Travis.
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