Alyssa Lang did not appear in ESPN’s college football coverage during Week 3. The journalist explained the reason for her absence in an post on X, in which she said she had been involved in a car accident two days earlier.’
“I had a very frightening accident Thursday night, when someone crashed into my car while I was driving on the highway,” Lang wrote. The host added that she was fortunate to walk away from the accident with bruises and a concussion and noted that she would rest over the weekend to recover. She also used the message to ask drivers to pay attention behind the wheel and to remember that a situation can change in a matter of seconds.
The new role of Alyssa Lang at ESPN
Lang’s absence was especially noticeable because this season she took on new roles in ESPN’s college football coverage. The network confirmed in August that she would debut as host of the college football studio shows and that she would work on ESPN and ESPN2 broadcasts.
Lang had spent the last eight seasons as a sideline reporter for SEC Network. In addition to her college football work, during 2026 she also contributed to NBA, college baseball, and other sports coverage for ESPN.
Her replacement over the weekend
While Lang was recovering, Zubin Mehenti and Kevin Connors took over hosting duties for ABC and ESPN’s college football programs during Week 3.
The substitution allowed regular programming to continue while Lang took the necessary time to recover from the accident.
Support messages for Lang
As the journalist explained, another vehicle crashed into her car while she was driving on a highway. Lang described the episode as a “terrifying” accident, although she noted that she was lucky and was able to come away from the incident with injuries that, according to her own account, included bruises and a concussion.
This was the reason why she decided to take the weekend off to rest. In her message, she also included a warning to drivers, asking them to pay greater attention when they are behind the wheel, reminding them that a situation can change in a matter of seconds.
After explaining what happened, the journalist received messages of support from colleagues. Kevin Negandhi, also from ESPN, wished her a speedy recovery and assured her that the team was with her while she recovered.
Lang said she would use the weekend to rest with the intention of returning to broadcasts soon. For now, no specific date has been announced for her return.
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