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Based on his huge voice and output, Paul Finebaum would be hard to replace at ESPN.
Over his 12 years with the worldwide leader, the “Mouth of the South” has become the definition of a dual-threat TV/radio innings-eater.
On ESPN Radio, Finebaum hosts an eponymous weekday show four hours a day. The long-running show, with its colorful cast of callers, is simulcast on the SEC Network.
On TV, he guest-stars on the network’s biggest studio shows, ranging from Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter to SEC Nation and College Football Live.
ESPN holds the exclusive rights to SEC football and men’s basketball via a 10-year deal worth $3 billion. As the voice of the SEC, Finebaum wields outsized influence and authority within a college conference that’s one of ESPN’s vital business partners, along with the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
But the show must go on if Finebaum decides to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in the state of Alabama. (Front Office Sports has heard he’ll make a decision when the college football season ends.) ESPN may try to fill the Finebaum void by committee until it finds out who has the juice.
Here are the top 11 talents who could get more reps and career opportunities:
Josh Pate: Pate is probably the most natural successor to Finebaum, as his career has been a rocket ship this year. His eponymous college football show (now up to 587,000 subscribers on YouTube) has partnered with On3 and Yahoo Sports. He has a short-term deal as a weekly contributor to ESPN this season, so there’s room to grow.
Greg McElroy: McElroy may actually be the more natural eventual heir apparent of Kirk Herbstreit, on College GameDay and/or the top college football color commentator role, but he has deep roots in SEC country as the former national-champion quarterback of Alabama. He is still plugged in to the inner circle surrounding Nick Saban, who ESPN wants to keep on College GameDay.
Cole Cubelic: The former center for the Auburn Tigers signed a multiyear extension with ESPN’s SEC Network before kickoff of the 2025 season. He cohosts Read & React with Roman Harper every Monday during college football season. He also cohosts the McElroy and Cubelic morning show on local Alabama radio.
Marty Smith/Ryan McGee: Their Marty & McGee traveling road show on SEC Network and ESPN Radio gives fans a potent shot of college football—with a side order of Southern culture. Is there a better-named segment on sports TV for CFB Saturdays than “Hillbilly Headlines”?
Dari Nowkhah: He already plays a huge role as a top host and anchor of SEC Network. He hosts Saturday Football Final with Chris Doering and Ben Watson during the season.
Alyssa Lang: This versatile rising star is all over the dial for SEC Network. She hosts, anchors, and serves as a sideline reporter. The South Carolina graduate joined ESPN in 2018. She also cohosts on SiriusXM with SEC Network colleagues Peter Burns and Chris Doering. Speaking of Burns …
Peter Burns: Burns has deep roots as an SEC host on TV and radio. He has been with SEC Network since 2014, and he currently cohosts SEC Now and SEC This Morning.
Booger McFarland: Best known for his stint as game analyst on Monday Night Football, the two-time Super Bowl champion covers both college and pro football for the worldwide leader. Don’t forget, the former LSU Tigers star earned his sports TV spurs by serving as one of SEC Network’s first commentators back in 2014.
Bobby Bones: Bones is a dark horse, but he is hugely popular in the region as a country music talk personality on iHeart, syndicated out of Nashville. He has some sports chops, hosting a weekly NFL podcast with Matt Cassel and occasionally filling in for The Rich Eisen Show. Bones is a die-hard Arkansas fan, and he would fit well on SEC Network programming.
Buck Belue: The former Georgia quarterback has been hosting sports-talk radio in Atlanta since the turn of the century.
