ESPN’s Holly Rowe Faces Criticism For Her Outfit On The Sideline During LSU-Clemson [VIDEO]
Her outfit choice became its own talking point Saturday.
LSU opened the Lane Kiffin era in front of a packed house at Death Valley on Saturday night. The Tigers hosted Clemson, and nothing about the result stayed close for long.
LSU jumped ahead early and never let up, cruising to a 51-10 win in Kiffin’s first game as head coach. The lopsided score gave ESPN’s broadcast team plenty of time to fill, including a memorable halftime exchange between Kiffin and sideline reporter Holly Rowe.
“Imagine if we had pro players.” 😅
Lane Kiffin is not holding back. pic.twitter.com/OzHEZqw1UW
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2026
Kiffin couldn’t resist a jab at Clemson during that interview, joking that LSU’s lead could have grown even wider “if we had pro players.” The comment quickly went viral.
So did something else…
Fans Zeroed In On Rowe’s Outfit Choice
Holly Rowe (Photo via Imagn Images)
Rowe wore a magenta top throughout Saturday’s broadcast, and some viewers thought the color was too close to LSU’s purple. One fan asked directly online why she appeared to be “wearing LSU colors.”
Why is she wearing LSU colors? pic.twitter.com/vpRnmFDA98
— Tony Cordasco (@TonyDasco) September 6, 2026
Another user connected the moment to a past controversy, noting that Rowe had previously worn a tie associated with the WNBA during sideline coverage.
A third noted that Rowe works for ESPN, framing the outfit debate as part of a broader argument about network bias.
Rowe’s top wasn’t actually LSU purple, but it was definitely closer to the Tigers’ colors than to Clemson’s orange.
Sideline reporters have long walked that tightrope, wanting to stand out visually while avoiding any appearance of rooting for one team over another.
Kiffin Faced His Own Separate Round Of Criticism
College GameDay crew with Lane Kiffin. (Image via X)
Rowe wasn’t the only person connected to Saturday’s broadcast dealing with pushback. Kiffin has fielded criticism over roster decisions tied to his expensive rebuild of the LSU program, and he addressed that scrutiny directly in his postgame comments.
“My job is not to please you and worry about what you’re going to write,” Kiffin said. “My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids.”
Wardrobe controversies aren’t new territory for ESPN’s sideline crew, either. Fellow reporter Laura Rutledge faced similar scrutiny over a ‘Monday Night Football’ outfit last December, showing that fashion criticism tends to follow sideline reporters regardless of the sport or network.
ESPN hasn’t issued any response to Saturday’s complaints about Rowe’s outfit.
Given the network’s history with these moments, it’s unlikely to be the last time a sideline reporter’s wardrobe becomes part of the postgame discussion.
