Alumna joins ESPN College GameDay crew

Samantha Steele, a 2009 Liberty graduate and former sideline reporter for the Flames Sports Network, has been tabbed by ESPN to host the first hour of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot on ESPNU. Steele will host the show each Saturday during the college football season from 9 to 10 a.m.

In addition to her hosting duties, she will provide features and updates for the 10 a.m. – noon hours of College GameDay on ESPN. Steele replaces Erin Andrews at the GameDay desk, who recently left the network for a position with FOX Sports.

Alongside host Chris Fowler and analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, Steele will preview the week’s best matchups, teams and storylines from the site of that weekend’s biggest game. She will travel to GameDay at the conclusion of the ESPN Thursday Night Football game, where it was announced earlier this month she will serve as the sideline reporter with the booth of Rece Davis and analysts Jesse Palmer and Pollack.

• Listen to an ESPN podcast interview with Steele and read the full story on www.liberty.edu/flames/.