Ryen Russillo
Ryen Russillo is the co-host of Russillo & Kanell (1 – 4 p.m. ET, M-F) on ESPN Radio (simulcast on ESPNEWS), alongside co-host Danny Kanell. The show debuted August 31, 2015.
Previously, Russillo was the co-host of ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show (2-4 p.m. ET M-F), which launched in July 2009. The show was re-named SVP & Russillo in October 2012.
Russillo joined ESPN Radio in February 2006, and has hosted NBA Sunday with Jamal Mashburn, The Baseball Show with Steve Phillips, and the NFL Draft. He has also filled in on talk shows including Tirico and Van Pelt, The Herd (simulcast on ESPNU), and the Doug Gottlieb Show. Russillo was also host of the network’s College GameDay.
Prior to joining ESPN, Russillo was a sports voice in Boston, Mass. where he was a CSN studio host and NBA analyst, and a Sporting News Radio host. Previously, he was play-by-play voice of the Trenton (N.J.) Thunder, the Boston Red Sox Double A team.
Russillo, a native of West Tisbury, Mass., is a 1997 graduate of the University of Vermont.
Danny Kanell
Danny Kanell is a college football analyst for ESPN networks and co-host of the weekday ESPN Radio program Russillo & Kanell. He joined ESPN in 2010 as a college football game and studio analyst, primarily on ESPNU, and currently works ESPN’s Thursday, Friday and Saturday studio coverage.
He previously called the ABC Saturday afternoon college football game, in addition to ESPN’s Friday night game telecasts. He also served as an analyst for the College World Series Regional and Super Regional games on ESPNU.
On August 31, 2015, ESPN Radio launched the weekday afternoon (1 – 4 p.m. ET, simulcast on ESPNEWS) program, Russillo & Kanell, hosted by Kanell and longtime ESPN Radio voice Ryen Russillo. Prior to this, Kanell had been a frequent contributor to various ESPN Radio programs including SVP & Russillo, Mike & Mike and more.
In 2012 Kanell was one of three hosts on ESPNU’s late-night entertainment show UNITE. Prior to joining ESPN, Kanell was an NFL and college football analyst for WQAM Miami and CBS4 Miami.
Kanell’s athletic expertise spans both the collegiate and professional level in multiple sports. After playing quarterback at Florida State for four years, he was drafted into the NFL by the New York Giants in 1996 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos until 2004.
While he played football throughout college, his freshmen and sophomore year Kanell also played baseball for the Seminoles. He was drafted by the New York Yankees after his junior year at Florida State and had been previously drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers while in college. It was his passion for football that eventually lead him to pursue an NFL career first.
However, he did break from football in 2001 and returned to baseball, playing in the minor leagues for the Atlantic League’s Newark Bears. He played at first base, third base and designated hitter.
Kanell is an active member of the Orange Bowl Committee and the Heart Gallery of Broward County, as well as the Chairman of the Board for Rocketown Florida, a non-profit entertainment facility for youths.
A 1996 graduate of Florida State, Kanell was selected as the 1995 ACC Player of the Year and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete. He is a member of the 2008 ACC Football Championship Legends Class and the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame. Kanell was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 2012.