Laura Rutledge's Gameday Outfits That Made Us Do A Double Take

It's hard to get distracted during a good football game, but if there's one sideline commentator who always steals our attention — it's Laura Rutledge. The ESPN NFL host has been known to dazzle with her gameday outfits, always doing an incredible job in pairing her professional reporting with a parade of sizzling looks. But before Rutledge was on the sidelines, she was used to turning heads in competitions of her own. 

Rutledge is a former beauty pageant contestant who won the title of Miss Florida in 2012. Speaking to Emerald Coast magazine, Rutledge remembered her victory with humility, saying, "It's amazing because you're talking about 42 of the smartest, most talented, well-rounded, beautiful women in the state. I'm thinking, 'There's no way that I stand up with these girls.'" But she did, with Rutledge clinching the competition with her impressive ballet skills. In fact, she had been training in ballet for years with the hopes of becoming a professional dancer.

But life had other plans, and Rutledge hung up her ballet shoes to attend the University of Florida and obtain a degree in journalism. From there, she was hired by Fox Sports Interactive, and after covering football around the country, she gradually climbed the ladder to ESPN's premiere "NFL Live" coverage. With her incredible sense of fashion and her ability to laugh off the occasional wardrobe malfunction, Rutledge has become one of the biggest reasons to tune in on game days.

She may not have been directly on the field for Super LIX, but Laura Rutledge was still in New Orleans on game day, and given that it was the biggest night in football — she wore an outfit to match. Rutledge posted a carousel of looks to Instagram, foremost of which showed her wearing a short black dress with a vest-like buttoned top that showed off her balletic figure. Photos also showed her covering her skin-baring outfit with a super fly Super Bowl LIX jacket. Not finished, Rutledge also hit us with a number of different looks worn over the course of the weekend, with the highlight being a low-neckline, light-colored dress that she wore while posing on a throne next to fellow ESPN royalty Mina Kimes. One thing was certain: Rutledge was far from being one of the worst-dressed stars at 2025's Super Bowl.

Rutledge's Instagram comments were nothing but compliments, with fans taking note of her ability to always dress to impress. One attentive user who had been watching Rutledge all season gave her a confident send-off, posting, "Fantastic outfits all week, crushed it all year long, Enjoy the offseason!!" And while football may have an offseason, Rutledge's impeccable fashion sense seems guaranteed to turn heads year-round. 

Given that it was a night for the best of the NFL, it makes sense that Laura Rutledge didn't settle for anything less than stunning at the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl. Rutledge blessed the world with an Instagram carousel of her navy blue and white look that caught everyone's eye. Rutledge was on sideline duty but looked ready for the runway as she wore a textured white skirt with a navy collared tank top and matching thigh-high boots, making the outfit somehow academic, yee-haw, and chic at the same time.

Rutledge captioned her own post by acknowledging the football players in attendance and writing, "The biggest stars in the game." But with her incredible style, Rutledge has also become a standout star to watch at the game. Commenters on Instagram were enthused not just by her ability to talk football but also by her ability to wear the heck out of those boots. One user put it most succinctly by simply posting, "This outfit though."

Laura Rutledge delivered multiple memorable looks over 2025's NFL Pro Bowl weekend. Another favorite shared on her Instagram was a fashionable tribute to The Beatles. For pants, she wore a pair of yellow-striped flare jeans with an embroidered heart and star accents. On top, she wore a glittering yellow and black jersey with a large yellow #1 on the front and the band's name stitched on the back — making what could've been a '60s-inspired Halloween costume look like an everyday outfit for Rutledge.

We're not sure why she chose to rep The Beatles at the Pro Bowl, but we're glad she did, and her adoring fans appeared to be equally delighted. One user posted, "Beatles fan? Cool. That outfit on NFL Live was lovely!" Another reliable fan said it was the sports commentator's best look yet.And many more followers praised her original fashion choice.  

Proving that she can catch our eye while keeping it casual, Laura Rutledge debuted a dazzling jeans and blouse combo while on the sideline at the Oakland Raiders Stadium that redefined what it means to elevate a look. In photos posted to Instagram, the fashion-forward commentator is seen holding her sideline microphone in a sparkling pair of lightly flared jeans and a loose satin shirt with a cheekily bedazzled collar and cuffs. She wore her hair up and her shirt unbuttoned, pairing it with a low-hanging necklace. The combination of glitz and flare jeans made the whole look very rhinestone cowgirl.

Fans in the comment section loved her embracing of all things glitter, while others were drawn to her up-do, with some even wanting to copy it for themselves.  Meanwhile, one user sounded like they needed a defensive line to prevent them from injuring themselves, posting, "You look so good I be running into the wall trying to watch you on tv." As always, her style had a strong effect on her followers. 

Given Laura Rutledge's busy schedule, it's amazing how many outfits she can manage to wow us with as she follows football all over the country. We especially loved the bold choice she made with a print dress that she pulled out during a particularly travel-heavy portion of her schedule. Rutledge posted the look on Instagram along with the caption, "We had a weekend (+monday). Auburn [to] Tuscaloosa [to] Miami." As for the dress, it is Alice and Olivia's Clyde Mini Dress, which usually retails for $440. Adorned with a backdrop of colorful Italian homes, its slightly boxy silhouette hangs perfectly on Rutledge's frame with a sideline visual that had our eyes meandering away from first down to figure out what she was wearing.

Fans also picked up on the unique-looking dress, with one user posting, "Your Miami dress is incredible!! Love the print." The compliments didn't stop there; others commented that only Rutledge could pull off the dress like that. She finished the highly praised look with a simple pair of black ballet flats, a sleek ponytail, and anklets. 

For the 2025 Cotton Bowl, Laura Rutledge wore neutral colors for the showdown between the orange-hued Texas Longhorns and the bright-red Ohio State Buckeyes. Making sure not to choose a favorite, Rutledge posted a photo of her sideline outfit on Instagram that combined a white miniskirt that looked like it also came from Alice and Olivia, along with a white long-sleeve shirt buttoned all the way up. The outfit looked both clean and professional and still held a hint of playfulness, especially since she decided to go with some matching white sneakers.

Rutledge captioned her Instagram by saying, "A College Football Playoff we'll never forget," and most of the comments under her post seemed to agree — though we think they were also talking about her killer sideline look. And in terms of notes on her performance, Rutledge passed with flying colors as fans applauded her commentary and made sure to single her out as one of ESPN's most prized sideline reporters. But Rutledge should really be proud of one user paying her the ultimate compliment by posting, "My inspiration. Always making women in sports look good." And we don't think we can put it any better than that.