As many predicted, former “Good Morning America” co-host Josh Elliott is heading to the “Today” show — though just for special Friday segments highlighting football fans. For now, at least.
NBC Sports is teaming with the “Today” show to present weekly “Together We Make Football” segments, telling human interest stories of football fans, players, teams and families across the country.
The segments will air each Friday morning during the upcoming NFL season, featuring a profile vignette produced by NFL Films and narrated by Elliott.
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The former “GMA” anchor will report from NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” city every Friday for the season’s first 11 weeks, beginning tomorrow in Denver.
Friday’s debut of “Together We Make Football” will highlight the Longmont (Colo.) High School Football program’s community service. Every year, Longmont Coach Doug Johnson leads his team on a day of service before the start of the season. Preparation for the day of outreach begins with a spring fundraiser to raise money for the community project.
According to Coach Johnson, this day of service counts annually as the team’s first win, so the Trojans will always open the season 1-0, NBC Sports said in a release.
Also read: In Josh Elliott Grab, NBC Lands a Blow to ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’
Elliott left ABC’s morning show in March, following months of speculation and contract talks.
In his relatively short tenure with NBC Sports, Elliott has covered horse racing, and is expected to play a key role during the football season. However, many expect Elliott to settle behind the “GMA” ratings runner-up “Today” show desk when his non-compete expires towards the end of this year.
Some believe that Elliott will be Matt Lauer’s eventual replacement when the tenured “Today” show host’s contract expires at the end of 2015, or even at the end of 2014, with an out clause.