Host and reporter Laura Rutledge stepped into an ever-increasing role when she joined ESPN in 2014.
From “SEC Nation” to “NFL Live” to coverage of the Masters, Rutledge is a fixture on the network’s key telecasts.
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In 2025, Rutledge assumed the most high-profile position of her career. That’s when she joined Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters as a sideline reporter on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts.
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While Rutledge makes her job look easy, she says anxiety and self-doubt are constant companions leading up to her biggest assignments.
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“I think there’s probably some people out there in the world that go to their TV job and feel great about it every day; that has never happened to me,” Rutledge said on former ESPN colleague Shannon Spake’s “Sons & Daughters” podcast.
“I can know inside of me I’m capable of doing these things, and yet be my own worst enemy the whole time. Beating myself down or telling myself I can’t do it or I’m gonna fail.”
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Rutledge, 37, signed a new multiyear contract with ESPN in February 2025. The University of Florida alum — and 2012 Miss Florida — is married to former MLB player Josh Rutledge. She is mom to two children.
During the podcast, she said getting to game time or showtime is the hardest part of her job. Once the lights come on, she’s ready to go.
“I had a lot of trouble with that this past season,” she said. “Before the day would start, psyching myself out and being like ‘You’re not gonna be able to do this, you’re gonna have a big mess up today,’ beating myself down so bad. By the time I would get to the game, I’d be like ‘Oh, I’m fine.’”
ESPN personality Laura Rutledge during the Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Also, Rutledge will be front and center beginning Thursday, April 9 at the Masters. She will host “Welcome to the Masters,” which begins at 1 p.m. ET and leads into ESPN’s Masters coverage at 3 p.m. ET April 9 and 10.
Plus, she will be back on the sideline for “Monday Night Football” this fall. That will lead to the biggest single event of her career: Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.