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

The 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 Saturday-night primetime college football broadcast for the second year in a row.

In 2014, she initially joined the SEC Network. Alongside commentators Jesse Palmer and Brent Musburger, Taylor covered college football for the SEC Network. She also served as an analyst for SEC contests involving women’s basketball and volleyball.

As a reporter and host for College GameDay in 2017, Taylor took Samantha Ponder’s seat.

Maria Taylor Was Born To Suzette & Steve Taylor

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

As to 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 hasn’t been proved, the sportscaster appears to be of Afro-American ancestry.

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

They have been good parents and have always pushed their daughter to pursue her aspirations, so they must be happy to see her flourish as a sportscaster.

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

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

Taylor was a four-year member of the All-SEC volleyball team at Georgia. Taylor continued to compete with the US Volleyball Junior National A2 squad, aiding them in their bronze-medal victory in the Open Division of the US 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, astonished them.

The sportscaster at the time shared a few pictures of her nuptials to an unidentified man on Instagram. On February 21st, she posted it with the message “I Love Our Love Story.”

In their small wedding ceremony, Taylor wore a white gown and her spouse a dark suit. A few weeks after she announced her engagement, she shared a picture from her wedding on the Instagram page @flowersbyyona.

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

The journalist is an imposing 6 feet 2 inch tall woman. We can presume Jon is 6 feet 5 inches tall because he is three inches taller than his wife and considerably more elevated.

For many years, the pair has been blissfully married, and they frequently appear to be spending quality time together. Fans of the couple wish them to remain happy for all time because they have loved and cared for each other.

Who Is Maria Taylor’s Ex-Husband Rodney Blackstock?

Georgia-born Rodney Blackstock currently resides in Atlanta. At the moment, 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, meantime, pursued his education at Greensboro College.

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

The ex-husband of Maria Taylor first met her in September 2014, according to a report in The Knot News.

The pair wed on May 5, 2019, at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Florida, which is on the coast. Before getting married, Taylor and Blackstock dated for several years.

Due to the fact that neither she nor Rodney has disclosed the real reasons of their divorce, next to nothing is known about how their marriage ended.

Meet Maria Taylor’s Kids & Family

Maria Taylor doesn’t seem to have any children of her own and appears to be focused with her professional job.

The sportscaster posted a picture of two kids on Instagram, but she hasn’t officially identified them.

Taylor seems to be having fun with the kids and a child lover based on the photo.

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

Maria Taylor (sportscaster) Bio

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

Born

May 12, 1987 (age 35)

Alma mater
University of Georgia

Occupation
Sideline reporter

Years active
2009–present

Employer
NBC Sports

Spouse

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 to the Atlanta Tip-Off Team of the Year, Fulton County Scholar Athlete of the Year, three years as the offensive MVP for her high school volleyball team, three selections to All-Region, and All-State honors as a senior. Taylor was also chosen to play for the Junior National A2 squad for USA Volleyball in 2004.

Taylor was given a scholarship for her athletic abilities 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 All-SEC volleyball team. In the Open Division of the US Volleyball Championships, she continued to compete with the US Volleyball Junior National A2 team, contributing to their bronze-medal victory. When Taylor’s playing career came to an end in the fall of 2008, she had 2,020 overall points and 1,729 career kills, placing her fourth all-time in program history. She stands 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 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 consecutive year in 2013, serving as the sideline reporter for ESPN2’s weekly Saturday-night primetime college football broadcast in addition to it. She has previously 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 Selection Show and NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview Show.

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 volleyball and women’s basketball. In 2017, Maria replaced Samantha Ponder on the College GameDay broadcast crew as a reporter and host. She also served as 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 vs. University of Georgia 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were the game callers for Saturday Night Football on ABC, and Taylor covered the sidelines.

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

NBC Sports

Taylor reportedly declined ESPN’s offer to increase her $1 million yearly pay to $5 million in 2020. The day after the 2021 NBA Finals ended on July 20, Taylor quit the network. She left after a July 2020 conference call between Rachel Nichols and LeBron James’ adviser Adam Mendelsohn was leaked, suggesting that the network had 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 was airing coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics, she made her network television debut.

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

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