01907 Spring 2019

08 | 01907
Todd McShay
is one of
the worldwide
leaders
BY STEVE KRAUSE
Todd McShay has two jobs at ESPN.
And just when the pace for the first one
reaches its tipping point, his second one
kicks in.
The buildup for that is steady until
the first week of April, when it explodes
and he barely has time to think.
But the 41-year-old Swampscott
native also understands that even though
he has goals he'd still like to reach, his
status as one of ESPN's foremost college
football and NFL draft experts already
places him at what most people would
consider a career pinnacle, and he's fine
with that.
"There was a time," he said, "when I
thought I might want to move over to
a personnel position, with a National
Football League team. But people I've
talked to tell me I'm crazy. 'Don't do it.'"
McShay understands why.
"I see what some of my friends do,"
he said, "and they're worked long and
hard, and put in long hours, and they've
done great work. Then, because some guy
gets hurt and the team doesn't do well,
he gets fired.
"I want to continue doing this," he
said, "There are still goals to reach."
"This," in McShay's case, is being a
college football expert for ESPN, and
the job takes two shapes. The first, which
runs from August through the beginning
of January, involves being a commentator
on college football games. This requires
him to travel extensively, week to
week, study film on the various teams
participating, and be ready when the time
comes to do games with Steve Levy and
Brian Griese.
"It's the same most every week," said
McShay, who lives in the South End
with his wife, Loren, and children Alaire
and Tate. "I meet the players and coaches
on Friday and then do the games on
Saturday.
"But," he said, "I also talk to coaches
about the players in the country and take
notes on them."
Naturally, McShay has an opinion on
January's national championship game,
in which Clemson defeated Alabama
handily (44-16).
"I was really surprised," he said.
"That was the only result that would
have surprised me. I wouldn't have been
surprised if Alabama went on a roll and
won by a couple of touchdowns. And I
wouldn't have been surprised if Clemson
pulled off a win. But this (blowout by
Clemson) surprised me."
Football has always been a big part of
McShay's life. He was the quarterback
for the Big Blue, and graduated from
a class that also produced Todd Kline
(his best friend), chief commercial
officer for the Washington Redskins;
Peter Woodfork, senior vice president
of baseball operations for Major League
Baseball; David Portnoy, founder of
"Barstool Sports;" and Matt O'Neil,
owner of the Blue Ox restaurant in Lynn.
After graduating from high school,
McShay went to the University of
Richmond as a walk-on. He made it onto
the scout team, but hurt his back and as a
result had to stop playing.
But he wanted to stay involved with
the team, so he learned how to break
down film from the coaching staff.
And that last bit of education has
served him well. He went on to work
for a scouting bureau that specialized
in projecting the NFL draft (do not