Report: Johnson Wagner To Leave Golf Channel For New Role At CBS Sports
The popular Golf Channel analyst is reportedly set to join CBS Sports in the role vacated by Colt Knost
The Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner is reportedly poised to join CBS Sports as its new on-course reporter.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak has learned that the three-time PGA Tour winner is set to take the place of Colt Knost in the role, with Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter also reporting the news.
It was announced earlier in the month that Knost has been promoted to the position of analyst in CBS Sports' golf broadcast team from the start of the 2026 season, after Ian Baker-Finch called time on his long stint in the role in August.
Wagner joined the NBC Sports network in 2023, and regularly appears as an analyst on its PGA Tour and Major coverage.
He also appears on Golf Central and Golf Central Live From, but is perhaps best known for taking on the toughest shots seen during the day’s play at various events, beginning at the 2024 Players Championship.
One of his most memorable efforts saw him replicate Bryson DeChambeau's glorious 72nd hole bunker shot that helped him win the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No.2, with the LIV Golfer alongside him offering advice.
Perhaps more endearing for viewers are the occasions where Wagner's efforts haven’t quite gone to plan, including one hilarious skull shank bunker escape at this year’s American Express.
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Johnson Wagner (@johnson_wagner) demonstrates how to play from the dauntingly steep greenside bunker on 16 at the Stadium Course. 😅 pic.twitter.com/NYgvfkKqwHJanuary 16, 2025
Never afraid to get stuck in, Wagner was also part of the broadcasting team at the inaugural Golf Channel Games. Ahead of the contest, he and his colleagues attempted the Team Relay and 14-Club Challenge.
Keith Mitchell, Johnson Wagner, Brad Faxon and Smylie Kaufman attempt the Team Relay Challenge at the @Optum Golf Channel Games. 🏃🏁 pic.twitter.com/r5nfxv37MADecember 17, 2025
However, it appears that his appearance at the Trump National Golf Club contest could be his last for the Golf Channel, with Golfweek also reporting that, per multiple sources, Wagner’s contract expires at the end of the year.
Schupak also reported that Wagner and officials at both CBS and the Golf Channel all declined to comment, although an official announcement could come by the end of the week.
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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