ESPN captured the headlines this week after firing several notable personalities, including Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, and Tom Pelissero, in one of the industry’s most comprehensive layoffs. The network’s chairman, James Pitaro, revealed that the changes were necessary after ESPN acquired the NFL Network in January.
Dave Portnoy Mocks New ESPN Show
On Thursday, “Front Office Sports” reporter Ryan Glasspiegel revealed that after ESPN’s mass layoffs, the network was planning to launch a new college football show. The show will reportedly feature college football analyst Josh Pate, who will be joined by ‘Bussin With The Boys’ podcast co-hosts, Taylor Lewan and Will Compton.
“The show will air on Friday afternoons and take place from college campuses, sometimes (but not always) from the site of College GameDay, sources said. It was not immediately known what the time slot for the program would be,” Glasspiegel wrote.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy mocked the news in a quote-tweet of the post announcing the launch on X.
He said, “ESPN really just Barstool Jr now.”
Portnoy’s comment made sense because not only is ESPN’s arguably biggest star, Pat McAfee, a former Barstool employee, but Compton and Lewan will now also feature on a big show and were part of Barstool.
Pate carved a niche for himself with his insightful “Josh Pate College Football Show” and for contributing to ESPN’s “Get Up” since last year. He kick-started his career with the “Late Kick” show, which 247Sports acquired in 2020. He renamed the show in 2024, signed a contract with CBS Sports, and relocated to Nashville, where he hit the big time.
Compton played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers before embarking on a nine-year journeyman career in the NFL. He started the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast with Lewan in 2019, and it was originally part of the Barstool Sports podcast network before signing a multi-year contract with FanDuel last year.
Lewan earned first-team All-American honors twice during his college football career with the Michigan Wolverines. After being selected No. 11 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Lewan played his whole NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, earning three Pro Bowl nods before being released in 2023.
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Mike Foss, who is ESPN’s Executive Vice President, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment, also lavished praise on Pate, Compton, and Lewan back in January.
“We introduced Josh into the fold for this football season, on a short-term deal, and he’s been fantastic, so have Taylor Lewan, Will Compton, and a slew of other college football voices,” Foss said. “As the year is coming to a close, and as it’s been an incredible year for football in general, it’s a good opportunity to look to the future. As we look at everything Josh has done, we certainly want to find a world where he’s a part of it.”
The “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast has thrived and now boasts 711,000 subscribers on YouTube and 633,000 followers on Instagram. In August 2025, Pate, whose show has 525,000 subscribers, launched “The Locker Room: CFB” show with Lewan and Compton.
According to Glasspiegel, ESPN content president Burke Magnus is seeking to penetrate the college football market since it’s the second-most popular sport in the country, only behind the NFL.
