The cat was already out of the bag, but Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A made the official announcement on First Take on Monday morning.
First Take will be heading to the alma mater of Sharpe – Savannah State – and Smith – Winston-Salem State University – on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, respectively. The news was first reported last week.
Shannon Sharpe spoke at length about the opportunity to return his alma mater and highlight it.
“I’m so excited. If somebody would have told me this when I stepped back on that campus in 1986 I would come back to my alma mater – in this capacity. I would have laughed,” Sharpe said. “If you told myself he’s going to go to the NFL and do yadayadaya – I would have believed everything you were uttering of your mouth. But if you’re telling me that I’m coming back almost 40 years later – in this capacity — and some of the professors a lot of the students and my former teammates were going to come back and be in attendance…man this means so much to me. I’m so very, very excited.”
Sharpe thanked ESPN and Smith for making it possible.
Smith expressed his excitement as well. First Take actually filmed at WSSU back in 2021 but Stephen A and the cast did not come south due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Winston-Salem State University – my alma mater – I expect you to represent,” Smith said with his voice rising. “I know Savannah State is going to represent, Monday November the 6. But November 7th, when we arrive at my alma mater – oh yeah, Winston-Salem State in the house.”