ESPN hopes to make Peter Schrager its first homegrown star in over a decade | Bobby Burack

If you speak to anyone in or around ESPN, they will tell you the same story about Peter Schrager: ESPN wants him to be its next big star.

On Thursday, the network will debut "Big Day with Peter Schrager." The program will air weekdays at 2 p.m., as OutKick in July.

Schrager joins a short list of individuals with ESPN television shows in 2026 built specifically around their personality. Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, Mike Greenberg and Scott Van Pelt are the others. That group should tell you all you need to know about how the network views Schrager.

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Schrager will also be the first personality under Burke Magnus regime to receive a push toward potential stardom. Remember, ESPN did not make McAfee a star. He was already a star before signing with the network. In fact, ESPN licensed McAfees show to a then-record-setting deal because it had so mightily struggled to create new stars in-house.

McAfee had leverage because none of the personalities ESPN previously tried to establish had any. That list includes Bomani Jones, Sarah Spain, Katie Nolan, Monica McNutt, Jemele Hill, Michael Smith and Mina Kimes.

Schrager represents a change of pace from that group. He fits ESPNs preferred direction of leaning into the positivity and excitement surrounding sports, rather than the negative and polarizing coverage that had become standard.

Last month, ESPN executive Mike Foss emphasized during a town hall the companys desire to move away from "hot takes."

Schrager also provides more expertise than other personalities ESPN hoped to brand around. He has a background in NFL reporting. He is more knowledgeable than those who cover the league primarily through the lens of the culture war.

On the surface, Schragers prospects are promising. But concerns remain. One involves the executive who hired and elevated him.

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Last week, OutKick explained how Magnus by hiring back Stan Verrett to host a throwaway show on NFL Network. During his first tenure, Verrett represented the very type of behavior Magnus had spent the past few years weeding out, including deranged posts, unprofessional direct messages to reporters, and preposterous race talk.

We believe Magnus felt pressure after Ryan Clark name-dropped him in unfounded accusations of racism following Clarks firing. ESPN did not deny our understanding of Magnus position.

If Magnus has set out to prove that he is not a racist, he could derail Schragers new show by surrounding him with polarizing individuals eager to impress their audiences on Threads, Bluesky, and Black Twitter.

This is an issue elsewhere at the company. Nearly every ESPN program features a rotating cast of panelists, most of whom viewers are not tuning in to hear. Get Up is now more about Chris Canty and Chiney Ogwumike than Greenberg, one of the last few difference-makers left at the company.

Schrager has not shown that he has the chops to push back against said hysteria. During Super Bowl week, he nodded along on set as NFL defensive lineman Cam Jordan