Maria Taylor Is Worked For ESPN And SEC Network Before Joining NBC Sports As A Sportscaster

Former ESPN and SEC Network sportscaster Maria Taylor currently works for NBC Sports.

The sportscaster covered the Orange Bowl as a sideline reporter for ESPN2’s weekly primetime college football show on Saturday nights for the second year in a row.

In 2014, she first joined the SEC network. Along with commentators Jesse Palmer and Brent Musburger, Taylor covered college football for the SEC Network. She has also served as an analyst for SEC competitions involving women’s basketball and volleyball.

As a reporter and host of College GameDay in 2017, Taylor took the seat from Samantha Ponder.

Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor was born to Suzette and Steve Taylor

On May 12, 1987, Maria Taylor was born. She is 35 years old. Her parents, Suzette and Steve Taylor, raised her in Alpharetta, Georgia.

As for astrology, she was born under the Taurus zodiac sign. She was raised in a loving home and was born into a wealthy family.

Her parents are Christians who are US citizens. Although it has not been proven, the sports commentator appears to be of African American descent.

Suzette and Steve have always been loving parents who can provide for their daughter.

They were great parents and always pushed their daughter to pursue her aspirations, so they must be happy to see her flourish as a sports leader.

At Centennial High School, Maria enjoyed a distinguished four-year basketball career during which she won various honors.

She was also selected for the USA Volleyball Junior A2 National Team in 2004. She received a basketball and volleyball scholarship to play at the University of Georgia from 2005 to 2009.

Taylor was a four-year member of Georgia’s All-SEC volleyball team. Taylor went on to compete with the U.S. National Junior A2 Volleyball Team, helping them win the bronze medal in the Open Division of the U.S. Volleyball Championships.

Maria Taylor is married to her husband, Jon

In February 2021, Maria Taylor, who has spent years largely hiding her personal life from her followers, stunned them.

The then-sports presenter shared some photos of her nuptials with an unidentified man on Instagram. On February 21, she posted it with the message, “Love our love story.”

During their small wedding ceremony, Taylor wore a white dress and his bride a dark suit. A few weeks after announcing her engagement, she shared a photo of her wedding on Instagram page @flowersbyyona.

They were seen in the photo walking down the aisle while beaming widely. While congratulating the newlyweds, @flowersbyyona revealed Maria’s spouse’s identity as “Jon” in the caption.

The reporter is an imposing 6-foot-2 woman. We can assume that Jon is 6ft 5in as he is three inches taller than his wife and is considerably taller.

For many years the couple have been married and they often seem to be spending quality time together. Fans of the couple wish them happily ever after as they loved and cared for each other.

Who is Rodney Blackstock, ex-husband of Maria Taylor?

Born in Georgia, Rodney Blackstock currently resides in Atlanta. Currently, Rodney works for State Farm in Atlanta as an insurance consultant.

He also oversees the Blackstock Insurance Agency at AAA Georgia, according to his Facebook profile. Blackstock, meanwhile, is continuing his education at Greensboro College.

After his mother left when he was twelve, Rodney had a difficult childhood, spending time in foster homes. He is from Greensboro, North Carolina, and is “of Brazilian descent and fluent in Portuguese.”

Maria Taylor’s ex-husband first met her in September 2014, according to an article in The Knot News.

The couple tied the knot on May 5, 2019, at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Florida, which is on the coast. Prior to getting married, Taylor and Blackstock dated for several years.

Since neither she nor Rodney have revealed the real reasons for their divorce, almost nothing is known about the end of their marriage.

Maria Taylor works for ESPN

Maria Taylor works for ESPN

Meet Maria Taylor’s children and family

Maria Taylor does not seem to have children and seems focused on her professional work.

The sports presenter posted a photo of two children on Instagram, but she hasn’t officially identified them.

Taylor appears to be fun with children and a child lover from the photo.

When Maria has children, she will be an excellent mother since she has always been the best version of herself.

Maria Taylor (Sports Host) Bio

American sports commentator Suzette Maria Taylor, born May 12, 1987, works for NBC Sports. She has held positions with the SEC Network and ESPN. She has covered men’s and women’s college basketball in addition to college football, volleyball, NBA, NFL, and the National Basketball Association.

Born

Suzette Maria Taylor

May 12, 1987 (35 years)

Alpharetta, Georgia, USA

foster mother University of Georgia
Occupation Secondary journalist
active years 2009–present
Employer NBC Sports
Joint

Rodney Blackstock

(Mr. 2019; div. 2021)​

Early life

Taylor was born to Steve and Suzette Taylor on May 12, 1987. She excelled in basketball for four years while a student at Centennial High School, winning numerous awards. Among the honors were selection of the Atlanta Tip-Off Team of the Year, Fulton County College Athlete of the Year, three years as the offensive MVP of his high school volleyball team. , three all-region caps and all-state honors as a senior. Taylor was also selected to play for the Junior A2 National Team for USA Volleyball in 2004.

Taylor received an athletic ability scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, where she played basketball and volleyball from 2005 to 2009. Each season while attending Georgia, she was selected for the team All-SEC volleyball. In the United States Volleyball Championships Open Division, she continued to compete with the United States Junior A2 National Volleyball Team, contributing to their bronze medal. When Taylor’s playing career ended in the fall of 2008, she had 2,020 total points and 1,729 career eliminations, placing her fourth all-time in program history. She is 6’2″ tall.

Career

Taylor spent the three years prior to 2012 working as a reporter and anchor for IMG College at the University of Georgia. Additionally, she has made appearances on a number of studio programs including SportsNite, Dawg Report and SEC Men’s Basketball Tonight.

ESPN

Taylor covered the Orange Bowl for the second year in a row in 2013, as a sideline reporter for ESPN2’s weekly Saturday night primetime college football show. Previously, she worked as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and Women’s Volleyball National Championship, as well as the NCAA Women’s Basketball Draft Show and Tournament Preview. NCAA women’s basketball.

2014 saw Taylor join the SEC Network. Along with commentators Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer, she covered college football for the SEC Network and served as an analyst for women’s volleyball and basketball. In 2017, Maria replaced Samantha Ponder on the College GameDay broadcast team as a reporter and host. She was also an ESPN host and reporter for the College Football Playoff game between the University of Georgia and the University of Oklahoma. She then served as a host and reporter for the University of Alabama College Football Playoff National Championship vs. University of Georgia 2018. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were the game callers for ABC’s Saturday Night Football, and Taylor covered behind the scenes.

The pregame show for NBA games on ESPN on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons is hosted by Taylor from 2019. The jump, anchored by Rachel Nichols, was supposed to be the pregame show -2020 NBA Finals game, but due to COVID- On Feb. 19, ESPN switched to Taylor’s NBA Countdown as a pregame and halftime show. She covered the Monday Night Football opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants in 2020.

NBC Sports

Taylor reportedly declined ESPN’s offer to raise his annual salary from $1 million to $5 million in 2020. The day after the 2021 NBA Finals ended on July 20, Taylor quit the network. She left after a leaked July 2020 conference call between Rachel Nichols and LeBron James adviser Adam Mendelsohn suggested the network selected Taylor to host the NBA Finals because of her race. Taylor joined NBC Sports two days later, and on July 23, while the network aired coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics, she made her television debut on the network.

Taylor became a panelist on NBC’s Sunday Night Football Football Night in America pregame program for the 2021 NFL season. It was reported in May 2022 that Taylor would take over as main show host from Mike Tirico, who was moving to the play-by-play lead position for Sunday Night Football. During NBC’s coverage of Roland Garros 2022, Taylor hosted the semi-finals and the men’s and women’s championship matches.

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