Fox Sports Signs Deal with Barstool’s Dave Portnoy for College Football Show

LOS ANGELES, CA — Fox Sports has finalized a new deal with Barstool Sports, bringing founder Dave Portnoy into the spotlight. The agreement was announced on July 16, 2025, and Portnoy is set to join Fox’s flagship Saturday college football pregame show, “Big Noon Kickoff.”

In addition to his role on weekends, Portnoy will feature alongside popular personalities like Dan “Big Cat” Katz on a Barstool-produced daily show on FS1. This program aims to rival ESPN’s well-known morning shows, including “Get Up” and “First Take,” hosted by Mike Greenberg and Stephen A. Smith, respectively.

The move seemingly responds to Pat McAfee‘s success on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” However, Portnoy’s role on “Big Noon Kickoff” is expected to resonate more with the voice of the fan, especially since Fox holds the rights to major Big Ten games. Portnoy, an alumnus of Michigan, plans to inject a passionate perspective into the broadcast.

Prior reports from Front Office Sports revealed the collaboration with Barstool, while its daily show connection was highlighted by the X account, “BackAftaThis.” The Athletic indicates Barstool might also host a pregame show leading up to “Big Noon Kickoff” for select Big Ten contests.

Fox Sports has faced challenges in competing with ESPN’s morning line-up, partly due to ESPN’s stronger programming in the previous evening slot. FS1’s earlier morning shows, such as “Breakfast Ball” and “The Facility,” failed to gain traction, giving Colin Cowherd’s noon show a disadvantage against McAfee’s daily program.

The new agreement is expected to mirror ESPN’s deal with McAfee, allowing him editorial control over his show. UTA represented Barstool in the negotiation process. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright’s shows, “First Things First,” will continue in the afternoon slots, while Joy Taylor, Keyshawn Johnson, and Paul Pierce host “Speak.”

This partnership marks Barstool’s significant return to mainstream sports television after the ill-fated launch of “Barstool Van Talk” on ESPN2 in 2017, which was canceled due to internal backlash.

Despite controversies surrounding Portnoy and his team over the years, Barstool remains popular, with the podcast “Pardon My Take” consistently ranking among the top sports podcasts since its launch in February 2016.

Portnoy expressed excitement about this new venture, stating, “This is the first time in our illustrious and notorious history that we’ve got a TV partner we believe in and believes in us,” in a post on his X account, which boasts 3.7 million followers.