Sports Media Rising Stars 2025, edit via Liam McGuire.
ListsBy Matt Yoder on

It’s that time once again for Awful Announcing’s annual list of the sports media rising stars.

Each year, we poll our staff and others throughout the industry to honor those individuals who are moving toward a bright future in sports media. With there being more sports content than ever before on television, streaming, podcasts, and everywhere else, there are more names to consider and nominations than ever before. The number of worthy candidates far exceeds the names listed here, but we’ve done our best to narrow it down to the following selections.

As always, you can view past lists from 2024 and 2023 at the links provided.

Gary Striewski and Randy Scott, ESPN

There is this idea that the classic SportsCenter anchor duo is a relic of a bygone era. We all remember the days of Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott, or even Neil Everett and Stan Verrett. But even though SportsCenter has changed and may not carry the same cultural weight it once did, Gary Striewski and Randy Scott are proving that they can be that duo for modern times.

Neither one is new to ESPN. Scott has been there since 2012, and Striewski since 2018. But the fact that ESPN tabbed them for the new SC+ on Disney+ this year shows how much faith the Worldwide Leader in Sports has in the pair as the go-to SportsCenter duo for a new generation.

Michael Grady, ESPN

Michael Grady and Jim Petersen on a Timberwolves broadcast in 2024.
Michael Grady and Jim Petersen on a Timberwolves broadcast in 2024. (Awful Announcing on X.)

When it comes to up-and-coming play-by-play announcers, Michael Grady of the Minnesota Timberwolves may be the fastest riser in the industry. And with good reason, he calls a fantastic game with great energy and has done fantastic work at the local level. After working this year with ESPN, he’s on tap for an even bigger role with a national outlet in the NBA’s next media rights cycle, calling both NBA and WNBA action.

Lauren Jbara, TNT Sports

Lauren Jbara joined TNT in 2023 after a tenure at Bally Sports South and has quickly risen up the ranks at the network, working as a sideline reporter for their NBA coverage and shined throughout the postseason. With the NBA on TNT coming to an end, it’ll be fascinating to watch where her next move might be as she continues to move forward.

Robbie Hummel, College Basketball Analyst

Former Purdue basketball player Robbie Hummel is an analyst for Westwood One Radio.
Photo courtesy of Michael Grant

Former Purdue Boilermakers star Robbie Hummel may be a bit too established already to be on this list but given how popular and respected his work has been over the last couple of years, he certainly deserves a rising stars tag. He is calling games for pretty much every network, including NBC, Big Ten Network, Fox, and even NCAA Tournament games for CBS and WBD. It’s a matter of time before he ends up as a top college basketball analyst.

JJ Watt, CBS Sports

J.J. Watt
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When JJ Watt was signed by CBS Sports to join The NFL Today, the expectation would be that it would be a part-time role given his outside interests. However, that will change this year when he catapults to the No. 2 broadcast team at the network alongside Ian Eagle. And given the fun exchanges the pair have already had and the fact that Eagle never has a bad broadcast, it would be no surprise if this becomes a favorite broadcast booth for NFL fans this fall.

Katie George, ESPN

Katie George interviews Charles LeClerc. Credit: ESPN

When ESPN broadcasted a major college football game and had an F1 race in the same city on the same weekend, it was the versatile Katie George who was the network presence at both. George has already done it all in her few years at ESPN, covering everything college football, softball, volleyball, UFL, basketball, lacrosse, and even F1. And it’s only just the beginning for her.

Johnson Wagner, Golf Channel

Nobody has more fun in sports broadcasting than Johnson Wagner. The 3-time PGA Tour winner has become a cult hero because of his willingness to try anything, and his recreations of pivotal shots from tournaments live on Golf Channel have become must-see TV. Wagner’s segment with Bryson DeChambeau after his US Open victory at Pinehurst was one of the best you will see.

Michelle Smallmon, Evan Cohen, Chris Canty, ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio has felt like a wandering wilderness for years, ever since the dissolution of Mike & Mike. The platform is seemingly always changing combinations and hosts in the hopes that something will come together. And it has been through Unsportsmanlike with Michelle Smallmon, Evan Cohen, and Chris Canty. We know Canty brings the heat with his takes, but there’s also enough levity, insights, and chemistry to make this a worthy successor in ESPN Radio’s morning drive slot.

Bussin’ with the Boys, FanDuel

Bussin' With the Boys is leaving Barstool Sports after they received an offer from a rival sports media company that they couldn't turn down.
Credit: ‘Bussin’ With the Boys’ on YouTube

There are a ton of sports podcasts that are out there, and so many are rising in notoriety. But none may have made a bigger jump than Bussin’ with the Boys, featuring former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. After working with Barstool Sports, the popular podcast has now inked a major deal with FanDuel as they look to make it on their own.

Christine Williamson, ESPN

Like Striewski and Scott, Williamson is another ESPN personality who has seen her presence and stature grow as an anchor at the network. While mostly working at the SportsCenter anchor desk (including teaming with Matt Barrie to replace Around the Horn at 5 p.m. ET), Williamson has also done more hosting and reporting duties across a number of different platforms, including the WNBA and college basketball.

Sarah Kustok, NBA/WNBA

Sarah Kustok has starred for years as a Brooklyn Nets analyst, where she has been a trailblazer for local NBA broadcasts, but is now starting to get more recognition and opportunities on a national scale. She has recently served as a panelist for We Need to Talk on CBS Sports Network and will also host CBS’s WNBA studio coverage. Whether it’s in the booth or in the studio, Kustok is set for a very bright future.

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