The first episode of the new version of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff is nearly three weeks away. But as of Thursday, Dave Portnoy still doesn’t know how he’ll be used on the morning college football pregame show.
During Thursday’s episode of The Unnamed Show, the Barstool Sports founder addressed his upcoming gig with co-hosts Kirk Minihane and Ryan Whitney. But despite the sizable media attention his addition to the show’s cast has received, Portnoy said he still doesn’t even know whether he’ll even be on its main panel.
“If we’re being honest, I don’t even know how they’re using me yet,” the Boston native said. “I don’t know that I’m on the panel… I’m going to be there every week. I will say, it appears to me by the media coverage people think I am the center of attention, but I don’t think that’s how it’s going. I don’t know how we’re being used yet.”
At this point, it would be pretty shocking if Portnoy’s role on the Big Noon Kickoff panel was anything but sizable, let alone the idea of him being left off the panel altogether. As Whitney joked in the segment, what would the show do? Pan to Portnoy petting his dog on the side of the set and have him give his game picks? All indications to this point have been that the 48-year-old will be Fox’s version of Pat McAfee, with a heavy emphasis on his pro-Big Ten bias.
To that end, whatever his role does wind up being, it appears he’s prepared to make good on Fox and the Big Ten’s desire for him to be an “on-air fanboy” to combat ESPN’s SEC bias. In a teaser trailer posted to his X account on Thursday, Portnoy played up Fox’s rivalry with ESPN with footage of him on Barstool’s own pregame show set to Al Pacino’s famous “Scarface” monologue.
FOOTBALL IS COMING @BNKonFOX pic.twitter.com/LfH062lWrL
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 7, 2025
Portnoy might not know what his exact role will be just yet, and that’s admittedly strange three weeks out from his debut. But until we hear otherwise, there isn’t any reason to think that it will be anything but a starring one.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.