Prediction: Josh Pate Will Be ESPN's Next Pat McAfee

Before the start of the college football season, Josh Pate joined ESPN as a contributor. His role mostly consisted of weekly remote appearances on "Get Up" with Mike Greenberg. However, one of our media predictions for 2026 is that his role with the network will expand significantly by next season.

While ESPN still needs to weed out holdovers from its previous era, like Ryan Clark, the network has shifted focus in recent years. Under the executive leadership of Burke Magnus, the channel has shifted its focus from social commentary to personalities who connect with a broad base of sports fans.

This strategy has included investing in voices such as Pat McAfee and Peter Schrager, while parting ways with figures like Sarah Spain and Bomani Jones. No wonder Bomani recently criticized ESPN as visionless. Plans to pay hosts without small audiences millions of dollars to impress people on BlueSky are on hold.

Speaking of McAfee, Pate’s background is similar. He built "Josh Pate’s College Football Show" into the most popular college football program on the internet, independently of any major network. Moreover, ESPN has shown through McAfee and Rich Eisen its willingness to let top talent retain ownership and creative control by licensing (not owning) their content.

McAfee hasn't lost his edge, audience, or independence since signing with ESPN. He instead added a simulcast on the main television channel and $17 million a year to his brand.

Similarly, ESPN would presumably let Pate keep his current platforms intact, while adding his show to its direct-to-consumer app and the SEC Network. In an expanded role, Pate would also likely appear across the network.

On Thursday, he guested on "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith in what looked like a tryout. Smith appeared impressed:

Pate's success on the internet coincides with a time when college football has emerged as a more prominent topic in the national conversation. For background, college football has long been the second most popular sport in America after the NFL. However, shows like "First Take," "Get Up," and "PTI" have rarely treated it that way, favoring leagues like the NBA because of the drama.

Well, no sport has produced more drama in the past month than college football, from Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU, the controversial CFB rankings, and the downfall of Michigan coach Sherrone Moore.

And despite ESPN’s heavy investment in college football broadcasts, its roster of daily contributors is not impressive outside of Paul Finebaum. Finebaum, though still among the most influential voices in the sport, hinted this past fall that he might leave to run for Senate in Alabama. At 70, with other interests, ESPN would be wise to establish a potential successor.

Ultimately, unless ESPN abruptly changes course, it's hard to imagine why ESPN and Pate would not expand their partnership. It makes too much sense for both parties.

We will have other predictions ahead of 2026. But this one feels obvious.