Who is shocking ESPN 22-year-old influencer hire Katie Feeney?

You know the media landscape is changing when ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, 58, is breaking the news that his employer is hiring a 22-year-old social media influencer.

(Feeney posted a witty retort, writing on her Instagram post, "You know it’s official when @adamschefter breaks the news.")

But such is 2025, and the Worldwide Leader in Sports shocked the industry by announcing Katie Feeney, who ESPN bragged in their press release has over 14 million followers across her social media channels, would be joining the Disney-owned sports network.

Besides the network's own social media channels, where she'll be the daily lead on their "SportsCenter" on Snapchat, Feeney will also be showcased across marquee ESPN franchises like "College GameDay," "Sunday NFL Countdown," and "Monday Night Countdown."

ESPN has signed Katie Feeney—a sports and lifestyle content creator with more than 14 million social media followers— to create content across ESPN’s social and digital channels. pic.twitter.com/pMB56HraEm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2025

So who is she?

High-school musical TikTok sensation turned Snapchat millionaire

Feeney has been making bank since high school.

Growing up in the Maryland side of the Washington, D.C suburbs, Feeney used her dancing and singing background to gain two million followers on TikTok during the global pandemic, including mundane but popular trends like unboxing videos.

Then in February of her senior year attending Sherwood High School, she made over a million dollars with Snapchat's "Spotlight" enhancement in the first six weeks of adding content to the platform.

From there, she was a bonafide social media star.

Honing her skills at Penn State with YouTube sports crossover appeal

The following fall, Feeney chose Penn State, majoring in broadcast journalism naturally. (Another young ESPN female star, Erin Dolan, also proudly went to Penn State.)

Feeney pivoted her content to more of a lifestyles tone for the life of a college student, and around the same time became a big player on YouTube Shorts, eventually getting hired by the streaming giant owned by Google to be their official correspondent at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Rams won at their home stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Feeney also formed a partnership with Penn State football, and her most liked TikTok of all time (550k) is her sporting Nittany Lions gear with her boyfriend at the time, Arizona Diamondbacks minor league outfielder Jack Hurley (from State College, Penn.), 23, singing in front of him for the first time.

Then on to the Washington Commanders and White House

As her profile continued to explode, Feeney was hired as the social media correspondent for her hometown NFL team, the Washington Commanders, sharing content on her platforms as well as doing native content for them.

She was also hired by AKSM media in an identical capacity to cover the White House, first posting content showing off First Lady Jill Biden's Christmas decorations.

Now Feeney has her highest profile gig yet, and many casual fans will get to know the 22 year old who is already living the American dream.

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