Former Tennessee football defensive back Charles Davis has been let go from ESPN as part of the network’s latest rounds of layoffs.
NFL analyst Ryan Clark and NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero were also reportedly part of the layoffs.
It’s the first major round of layoffs at ESPN in three years, and it’s mostly tied to Disney’s acquisition of NFL Network and NFL Redzone in February, according to Front Office Sports. Davis was part of the NFL draft and NFL combine coverage for NFL Network.
Davis has been part of the NFL coverage on CBS since he left FOX in 2020 and will now be the lead analyst for Big Ten college football on CBS, replacing Gary Danielson.
Davis partnered with Kevin Burkhardt and Pam Oliver for FOX’s coverage of the NFL from 2017-20. He has also served as analyst for college football, Arena League Football, basketball, baseball and golf for ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, The Golf Channel, TBS, TNT, and the Sun Sports Network.
Davis was a four-year starter for the Vols from 1983-86 and helped Tennessee to four straight bowl appearances. He was also an assistant coach at the University of Pacific before working as an assistant athletic director at Stanford University.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
