ESPN’s Josh Pate Talks Indiana Natty, Transfer Portal Casualties, More w/Rich Eisen | Full Interview

What this episode is about

Josh Pate discusses the aftermath of the college football season, including reflections on the Indiana National Championship and the impact of the transfer portal on teams and players. The conversation highlights key developments in college football and Pate's insights on the evolving landscape of the sport.

Key takeaways

• Indiana's championship is a testament to risk-taking; sometimes it takes an outsider to shake up the status quo.
• The 'Roger Bannister effect' in college football suggests that one success can ignite a wave of possibilities for others.
• Hiring models in college football might need a reality check; same old names won’t always deliver fresh results.
• Curt Signetti's success is a reminder: efficient teams can disrupt traditional power dynamics and redefine expectations.
• Watch out for Josh Hoover; the TCU transfer could be the next big quarterback sensation in a shifting landscape.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Rich Eisen (Host) · 7 min speaking
• Josh Pate (Guest) · 11 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Indiana, Josh Pate, Rich Eisen, ESPN
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Indiana, Curt Signetti, TCU, Auburn
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Rich Eisen, NCAA
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Dr. Belinda Beck
5. 12:00 – 15:00: Dante Moore, Josh Pate, Oregon, Dr. Belinda Beck
6. 15:00 – 17:47: Dante Moore, Oregon, Josh Pate, Rich Eisen

Notable quotes from "ESPN’s Josh Pate Talks Indiana Natty, Transfer Portal Casualties, More w/Rich Eisen | Full Interview"

• But we figured let's bring Josh Pate back on this program now that the college football season is all done and have I guess a college football exit interview with the ESPN college football.

  about Josh Pate · at 0:00

• Football mind would have associated with championship contention. It could be that. I think in the aggregate, Rich, the big ripple effect it has is on a recalibration of the…

  about Rich Eisen · at 3:08

• Sense at all with them. This is not some rental car situation like they bought. They're there. Josh Hoover is a name that you should get familiar with. That's the TCU quarterback.

  about TCU · at 5:02

• Between the bricks that makes a team I've never seen anything like Indiana this year so I think they'll be in the dance or they'll be able to get in the dance for several years…

  about Indiana · at 5:48

• This is all what's sort of just loosely written on the NCAA banner. They're flying behind the plane right now.

  about NCAA · at 10:38

• The national championship game. And I'm Wow. that's a professional quarterback. he does not go to class cuz he's already graduated and he's just being paid to play football…

  about Miami · at 12:07

• So, they'll be loaded at the wide receiver position. And also, is there a hungrier program in America right now than Oregon? They've been disposed of two times in a row. thoroughly disposed of in the postseason. So,.

  about Oregon · at 14:55

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Josh Pate — Person · Main guest · 4 mentions · first at 0:00
  Primary interview subject providing analysis on Indiana’s title run, coaching hires, the transfer portal, and a Heisman prediction.
• Rich Eisen — Person · Host · 3 mentions · first at 0:34
  Interviewer driving the conversation: Indiana’s impact, portal aftermath, and prompting Pate’s Heisman call.
• Curt Signetti — Person · Referenced coach / case study · 2 mentions · first at 3:38
  Used as the central example for how Indiana’s success could recalibrate college football’s coaching-hire “hot board” groupthink.
  Hired him. No one did. Indiana took a risk, a calculated risk, but a risk. And so I just wonder whether it be an athletic director or maybe in the future GMs are making the…
• Dante Moore — Person · Referenced player / prediction subject · 7 mentions · first at 14:20
  Pate’s “called shot” Heisman pick; discussed as Oregon’s QB with supporting cast and program motivation.
  Dante Moore's got a kid named Evan Stewart coming back. Dorian Moore becomes a sophomore, secondyear player.
• Dr. Belinda Beck — Person · Referenced player / illustrative example · 3 mentions · first at 11:34
  Cited in a discussion about the diminished academic tie for some players (graduated, not attending class) amid NIL/portal realities.
  Quarterback. he does not go to class cuz he's already graduated and he's just being paid to play football, but it's for the University of Miami Hurricanes rather than the Miami…

Companies & orgs

• NCAA — Company · Regulatory Body · 1 mention · first at 7:47
  Discussed in the context of transfer portal rules and their legal enforceability.
• ESPN — Company · Affiliation · 1 mention · first at 0:51
  Mentioned as the network where Josh Pate works as a college football analyst.
  Josh Pates College Football Show on YouTube and then of course on the ESPN family of networks. do you have a Dante Moore card or just I don't I think we're about to get.

Places & events

• Indiana — Place · Setting · 5 mentions · first at 2:08
  Discussed in the context of college football, specifically their national championship win and its impact on the sport.
• Oregon — Place · Setting · 4 mentions · first at 14:20
  Mentioned in the context of college football, specifically Dante Moore's potential Heisman Trophy win.
• Miami — Place · Setting · 4 mentions
  Mentioned in the context of Carson Beck's academic status and the University of Miami Hurricanes.
• TCU — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 5:10
  Mentioned in the context of Josh Hoover transferring to Indiana.
• LSU — Place · Setting · 2 mentions
  Mentioned in the context of college football coaching searches.
  Recalibration of the hiring model because right now, anytime there's a job opening, we just had several of them. We had Penn State, we had Auburn, LSU, like all these jobs…
• Auburn — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 3:22
  Mentioned in the context of college football coaching searches.
  Recalibration of the hiring model because right now, anytime there's a job opening, we just had several of them. We had Penn State, we had Auburn, LSU, like all these jobs…
• Penn State — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 3:22
  Mentioned in the context of college football coaching searches.
  Recalibration of the hiring model because right now, anytime there's a job opening, we just had several of them. We had Penn State, we had Auburn, LSU, like all these jobs…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 But we figured let's bring Josh Pate back on this program now that the college football season is all done and and have I guess a college football exit interview with the ESPN college football analyst. Josh Pate, good to see you, Josh. How are you, sir?

0:12 All right. I'm good. I got acupuncture for the first time in my life today. So, I'm laid out. Yeah, this pertains to you, by the way. I'm not just running down my schedule so far today. So, I'm sitting there. I've got needles all over my head and my ears. And my wife is there because anytime I do something for the first time, I take her with me. Okay. And I'm floating in and out of consciousness. And she drops the, "Hey, Rich Eisen wants to know if you want to come on a show." She had my phone in her hand.

0:38 Okay. Always safe. And I said, "What what must this be about? I mean, we're like 72 hours removed from the championship." But I told her without hesitation. Yes. Asking me if he can move it up an hour. Yes, I will do it. So, I'm happy to be here, man.

0:51 I appreciate that, Josh. I didn't mean I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Um because I also know having done acupuncture in my in my existence uh that the first time I did it, you know, you're right. You're floating. You're figuring like, "Oh god, this is uh uh this is this is pretty cool, but I'm I'm a little bored, you know, with my own thoughts." Uh I so stupidly I reached for my phone um but moved in a way that there was an electrical shock that shot me right down the entire body. Um and I thought to myself that probably is the spirit of my wife not there saying put your damn phone down. So you know like that's that's that's my answer to your story. Josh,

1:35 I did it. I I tensed up because I started to lean up and whatever happened to me, I felt like I was at a 49ers practice. Whatever happened to me, it pulsated through my entire body and I laid right back down. I let her handle.

1:47 Okay. Very good. And I'm glad you are now here. No, the reason why I reached out, Josh, is because Yeah, I know we're we're 72 hours clear, but um this is a football loving nation in which we reside and the portal's done and I and that was an interesting part of our conversation last week, so I want to button that up. Uh, but let let me give you the floor on on what you think Indiana's mean mean win rit large means for the sport and for everything going on. Josh.

2:15 All right. So, I still think they're an outlier in a sense that if you just look at what it took for them to do what they did, I've never seen a team as efficient as them. It was like as close as we could get to AI football without it being AI football. That's that's how ruthlessly efficient they operated. And so I still think that's a really really fine needle to have to thread. I do think there was a little bit of a like a Roger Banister type effect of, you know, it took took forever for a human being to rub a run a sub4-minute mile and then Roger Banister does it and then like a million people did it. And so you look at you say, "Well, was it always this easy?" Well, no, it was never easy, but it was possible. It just took someone showing you that it could be done. And likewise, Indiana could have a little bit of a Roger Manister type effect on your Minnesota or a Maryland or a UCLA,

3:04 just Washington State, like programs that you never in your sane college football mind would have associated with championship contention. It could be that. I think in the aggregate, Rich, the big ripple effect it has is on a recalibration of the hiring model because right now, anytime there's a job opening, we just had several of them. We had Penn State, we had Auburn, um LSU, like all these jobs open. And if you go look at the hot boards, it's like the same 10 names. It's a really really incestuous kind of pondwateresque feel to coaching searches. And Indiana just wins a national championship with Curt Signetti. And hey, Signiti was always there. Anyone could have gone and hired him. No one did. Indiana took a a risk, a calculated risk, but a risk. And so I just wonder whether it be an athletic director or maybe in the future GMs are making the hires in college football, which is a whole separate hour

3:53 of a show we could do. I just wonder how much it shakes up the hiring process because to me everything about this sport right now works downstream of the administrative group think that goes into hiring.

4:07 Yeah, I I hear you on that, but I I'm I'm just wondering why can't Signetti find the right quarterback again? Why can't he go ahead and and and replenish in the portal just like everyone else? Maybe he's already done it, you know, because these things are so crazy. He's he's actually built the next roster or held on to his current one while going on this run in the college football playoffs. You know, uh it'll be tough. I mean, we had Fowler on the day after the game, but why not? I mean, the guy does seem to have a keen eye for talent and a keen eye of motivating him. Josh,

4:43 I fully expect them to be there. Like to me, I mean, I [clears throat] don't want to look, I'm not Curt Signetti, so I can afford to take them for granted. I am I'm so high in my respect for the sustainability of what they've built. I expect them to be there. You and I talked about this last time. We were talking about whether it's just kind of a oneanddone thing. I don't get that sense at all with them. This is not some some rental car situation like they they bought. They're there. Um Josh Hoover is a name that you should get familiar with. That's the TCU quarterback.

5:12 They've already got him. They already brought him in in the transfer portal. Um he will he will be one of the talks of the sport next year. They were a very very big destination for Portal guys this past cycle. So they're going to be they're going to be stocked up. They're going to have the athletes to compete maybe even more so than they just did. I think the million-dollar question becomes will they ever have the kind of just overall like team dynamic they just had? because I don't talent notwithstanding like it takes a certain amount of it to compete and they they met that minimum baseline but the team aspect just the overall the the mortar between the bricks that makes a team I've never seen anything like Indiana this year so I think they'll be in the dance or they'll be able to get in the dance for for several years to come because I think their model is sustainable but what we just saw right

6:02 here is special and I will never assume that anyone including Curt Signnitti could just just boom boom, snap his fingers and easily replicate that.

6:11 Josh Pade here on the Rich Eisen Show. And again, another reason why I reached out is our conversation last week where you said how many kids are still left in the portal with two days to go, 10,000 close to 4,000 in the FBS alone. And you know, this is not just the sports world. So many things happen in the real world that we just move on because we've got other distractions, other things going on. Um, the portal's now closed and I'm wondering how many kids were left in the portal when it closed because nobody talks about that. Josh,

6:45 what do you got for you know what it's kind of like? It's kind of like in the south like when a when a big tornado outbreak happens,

6:51 right? And and the news focuses on it for 24, 48 hours, they move on. Community is still devastated and you're like, where did the coverage go? Kind of in the in the sports world to to remove all the tragedy from it to to maintain some of the same elements. That's kind of how the portal is. So, I'm looking right here. I hit up my buddy over at 3, Pete Nikkos this morning, who just has a has a line to the portal. He himself is not in it, but he has a line to the portal.

7:16 Okay, so just FBS. So, we're just talking about the 136 FBS teams. Uh 1,200 of them are still active. They are still in there. So, to to give everyone a little catch up here, the portal closed last weekend.

7:31 And the rule isn't you have to have signed by the time it closes. The rule is you have to be in by the time the portal closes. Now, there's some very highriced legal types out there that we could doublebox me with right now and they would say this is all cosmetic. This is all a mirage. There is no window. The NCAA just put some dates on a piece of paper and they're crossing their fingers hoping everyone abides by it. But really legally, there's nothing stopping anyone. As long as you can get enrolled in school, you can portal whenever you want. All right, with that caveat added, right now the portal is closed according to the NCAA, which means if you're not already in it, you can't transfer the rest of the year.

8:08 1,210 are still active in that portal, meaning they have not signed anywhere. And I'm just telling you, I mean, people can like it or not, it's a reality that several of those guys will never play football again. Several of those guys are in there. And then you noticed when we put that clip out from your show last week, there was a mixed reaction in the comments and some of the comments were, "Oh, this is terrible." You know, because I pontificated that um jackals posing as agents were giving really bad advice to kids. And that's not my opinion. That's fact. But that wasn't the sentiment in the replies. The sentiment in the replies was largely, "Well, good. They deserve to learn these lessons, blah, blah, blah." And people are taking their distaste towards the overall climate of college football right now. And the only face that they can aim that vitriol at is the players.

8:57 And to me, the players are probably acting no different in the current climate than any player at any point in history would have acted given these current parameters. So yeah, a lot of guys just ended their career by going in the portal. Some of them by listening to adults who allegedly have their best interest at heart and they never even knew they ended their career when they made that decision. So, it's possible that of those um 1,200 plus uh players still sitting in the portal that there'll be what, a spring game injury, a training camp injury, and they'll be able to switch um or or find a spot because the other teams that they portaled away from haven't taken them back or been told you're you're not welcome back here.

9:46 like it that so they're they're just waiting for an opportunity similar to a pro football player that doesn't get signed via free agency got cut. Is that basically what their their experience is going to be like over the next few weeks and months? Josh,

10:02 I imagine I imagine some stories are going to be like that. You got to remember, as much as people chuckle under their breath when I say this, there is still an academic element attached to this where um you can't just go sit at home or sit in the dorm. Like there's this small matter of you needing to be in class, you needing to be enrolled somewhere. Um so as long as you're enrolled in somewhere, I guess you remain in good academic standing and yeah, there's no limit. You can indefinitely stay in the portal until you want to sign somewhere. You just got to get enrolled there. But again, and this is why I wanted to say what I said a couple of minutes ago.

10:38 This is all what's sort of just loosely written on the NCAA banner. They're flying behind the plane right now. Nobody knows if it stands up to legally legal scrutiny. In fact, we kind of know it doesn't. It's just it's a casebycase thing as to which of these things have been torn to shreds in court and which ones haven't yet been torn to shreds in court. So, I I think we're going to have uh one of the most ridiculously legally contentious off seasons in college football history cuz that's all you're going to hear about for the next 6 months unless you just plug your ears is a bunch of legal fights about what the NCAA can and can't enforce with the transfer portal.

11:15 The only push back or caveat I will give to what you just said about an academic um um piece to this still existing is unless there's somebody in the portal that's already graduated,

11:27 right? And the thing that leapt out at me in the the days leading up to the national championship game, Josh, was an exchange between Carson Beck and a reporter. And I think the reporter must have, you know, have an angle or she had a a story about, you know, the academic portion of all of this and asked Carson Beck, was he in class like last week or the day before or something like that. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the general gist is asking him, "Hey, you know, were you in class this past week?" And he laughed and he goes, "I graduated. I haven't been in class in two years." Said the quarterback of a play uh of a team that was playing in the national championship game. And I'm like, "Wow." Like, that's a professional quarterback. Like, he does not go to class cuz he's already graduated and he's just being paid to play football, but it's for the University of Miami Hurricanes rather than the Miami

12:20 Dolphins. That's a fact, Josh. That's that happened, you know. Yeah. And I I don't know. I just had to bring that up in response to you saying what you just said.

12:30 Well, you got to remember, so also the the life cycle of your modern-day highle college football player is they enter high school knowing I plan on playing college football. So, they get themselves in such a situation where they're ready to early enroll in college. Uh some of them do. Some of them skip their senior year in high school. They rearranged their schedule academically where they meet the academic requirement to graduate high school. Ryan Williams did this at Alabama and so he's enrolled as a 17-year-old freshman at Alabama, but they early enroll. They're on campus all year. So, they're taking a year- round class load. So, I mean, look, Carson Beck's not the best example of this, but a lot of these dudes are done. They already have degrees. And even if they're just a standard four-year guy, I mean, a lot of them are working on a mast's by the time they're second half of their junior season just because

13:19 they've already met the requirements. So, uh, before I let you go, um, to your massage or whatever you're doing next, um, is, uh, let's do this. Let's have a little bit of fun where your answer will not be remembered or I won't bring it up if it's wrong. But if it's right, you'll be like, I called it on January 22nd.

13:41 The Heisman Trophy winner for the upcoming season is is who? Josh, I need to write this down. Hold on a second.

13:47 The upcoming se I want you to call your shot, but I don't know what the the uh the event is probably December 10th or whatever the the date is, right? this this day is gonna happen. It'll or and it'll feel like it's December 11th by the time they announce it because you're just sitting here going, "Okay, can we just get the name please?"

14:06 I got a boat riding on this. You do. I know. I got futures up to no pressure. Make your call, Josh P. What do you got for me? It's silly to even ask, but I'm doing it.

14:16 No, it's not. No, it's not. This is This is Big Jay stuff right here. I want to go

14:20 I want to go Dante Moore at Oregon. Whoa. Okay. All right. Why? Yeah. Why do you like

14:28 Oh, see the why is the then now that's what I don't like. I don't like the Okay. All right. I asked I didn't I I don't get a follow-up. I agree. Okay. Very good. I appreciate that.

14:40 Does that make him the first overall pick in the draft, though? I think it's I think it's Arch Manning still. I mean, it's Arch Manning's the answer obviously, but that's the one everyone's going to give. That's boring. So, it's January. No one remembers this. Dante Moore's got a kid named Evan Stewart coming back. Dorian Moore becomes a sophomore, secondyear player. So, they'll be loaded at the wide receiver position. And also, is there a hungrier program in America right now than Oregon? They've been disposed of two times in a row. I mean, thoroughly disposed of in the postseason. So, uh, new coordinator up there, but they hired from within. So, there's continuity in the system. I think Dante Moore is about to have himself a big year.

15:15 Josh Pate, thank you for the time. I appreciate it. Um, and look for my calls. I'll just try and be less intrusive when I text. Yeah, I'll send you my acupuncture schedule if you could just if we could just work that out.

15:28 We'll dovetail it. I'm I'm there. I'm there for you. Thank you for the Thank you for the time. Appreciate it, brother.

15:32 Josh Pates College Football Show on YouTube and then of course on on the ESPN family of networks. Um do you have a Dante Moore card or just

15:41 I I I don't I think we're about to get on right now. Don't Don't This is You have this look of you're about to tell me the odds.

15:50 I am. Of course. That's But how are there odds? What do you mean? I just asked a stupid question.

15:55 No, because if he gets it right, if he gets it right, when when is the Heisman Trophy ceremony?

16:00 Uh, probably the first weekend of December, right, of 2026. No, no. The first weekend of December is usually the the um it's usually the conference championship games, which they have yet to do.

16:10 Saturday in December. Hold on. Let me just tell you these odds while you look this up. So, my man Josh Pate, beautiful uh bald brother, said Dante Moore of Oregon. He's 13-1 right now, which is a few back. Same odds as Sam Levitt and Gunnar Stockton. Julian Seyan also at 13 to1. Jeremiah Smith 13 to1. They are behind the favorite once again, second year in a row, the offseason favorite. TJ Jefferson, Arch Manning is 8 to1.

16:40 CJ Carr 8 to1. Josh Hoover 11 to Hoover. Yeah, Josh Hoover, who would again we just mentioned is going to be the next co uh next quarterback at Indiana.

16:50 And if you're curious, Malachi Tony, who we fell in love with during the college football playoffs,

16:55 uh only 18 years old, 27 to1. Did you mention Jeremiah Smith's name? I did. 13 to1. He's the same odds as Dante Moore.

17:02 Yeah, the uh the old Google machine here says it's likely December 12th or 19th.

17:08 Got it. I I So December 12th. So he just did it basically. uh a 10 months and change in advance.

17:16 Yeah. Uh your guy Rich Eis and Bryce Underwood 30 to1. Lenor Sers also 30 to1. So Dante Moore, if he says I'm not going to the draft, I'm staying put. And he wins the Heisman Trophy and he's part of an Oregon National Championship team. Good decision.

17:32 Boom. Cuz he's probably got some new sneakers to go along with it. Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Thanks for that. Check us out every single day streaming live on Disney Plus and the ESPN app 12 to 3 Eastern.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "ESPN’s Josh Pate Talks Indiana Natty, Transfer Portal Casualties, More w/Rich Eisen | Full Interview"?

Rich Eisen (Host), Josh Pate (Guest).

What is "ESPN’s Josh Pate Talks Indiana Natty, Transfer Portal Casualties, More w/Rich Eisen | Full Interview" about?

Josh Pate discusses the aftermath of the college football season, including reflections on the Indiana National Championship and the impact of the transfer portal on teams and players. The conversation highlights key developments in college football and Pate's insights on the evolving landscape of the sport.

What is mentioned in this The Rich Eisen Show episode?

14 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Josh Pate, Rich Eisen, Indiana, Oregon, Curt Signetti, NCAA. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "ESPN’s Josh Pate Talks Indiana Natty, Transfer Portal Casualties, More w/Rich Eisen | Full Interview"?

The episode runs 18 min; the transcript is about 3,631 words in 50 timestamped sections.

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