Samantha Ponder Net Worth

What is Samantha Ponder's Net Worth?

Samantha Ponder is an American sportscaster who has a net worth of $6 million. From 2012 to 2016, Samantha Ponder served as a reporter and contributor on the ESPN pre-game program "College GameDay," and from 2017 to 2024, she hosted the network's "Sunday NFL Countdown." Among her other roles, she was a regular sideline reporter for ESPN's "Thursday Night College Football" and for the ESPN-owned Longhorn Network in Texas.

Early Life and Education

Samantha Ponder was born Samantha Steele on December 11, 1985, in Phoenix, Arizona. As a teenager, she went to Central High School, and after graduating she enrolled at the King's College in New York City. While there, Ponder applied for a job at ESPN and met Ben Keeperman, who worked for ABC Sports Radio. This led to her getting an internship with ABC Sports, followed by a research assistant job at ABC-TV. Ponder went on to transfer to Liberty University in Virginia, where she had been offered a job as a sideline reporter on Liberty's sports television network.

Professional Sportscasting Career

After graduating from Liberty in 2009, Ponder became a sideline reporter for Fox Sports Net and Fox College Sports, covering Pac-10 and Big 12 college football and basketball games. In 2011, she joined the newly created, ESPN-owned Longhorn Network, a joint venture with the University of Texas at Austin that focused on Texas Longhorns varsity teams. She was one of the network's first three talent hires, alongside Kevin Dunn and Lowell Galindo. In 2012, Ponder joined ESPN's pre-game show "College GameDay" as a reporter and contributor, and also became a co-host on ESPNU. During her time on the show through 2016, she worked alongside such other on-air talent as Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Chris Fowler, David Pollack, Rece Davis, and Tom Rinaldi. Ponder also served as a regular sideline reporter on ESPN's "Thursday Night College Football" from 2012 to 2014. After leaving "College GameDay," Ponder became the new host of ESPN's pre-game show "Sunday NFL Countdown," replacing longtime host Chris Berman. She served as host from 2017 until her termination by ESPN in August of 2024, at which time she was replaced by Mike Greenberg.

(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Personal Life

In late 2012, in Hudson, Wisconsin, Ponder married professional football quarterback Christian Ponder, who played for the Minnesota Vikings at the time. Together, they have two daughters named Bowden and Price and a son named Robinson. During his NFL career, Christian earned a little over $12 million in salary.

Real Estate

In 2015, Christian and Sam paid $2.2 million for a home in Phoenix, Arizona. The 7,000-square-foot mansion also has a guest house. They sold this property in January 2021 for $3.5 million.

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