Unnecessary Roughness is over. Brandon Walker and Kaycee Smith closed the podcast Wednesday, ending a seven-year run that shaped Barstool Sports’ college football coverage.
What We Know: Unnecessary Roughness launched in August 2019 as Barstool Sports’ flagship college football podcast featuring Walker and Smith. From there, the duo co-hosted the show for nearly seven years. On Wednesday, the pair confirmed that the show has ended as both talents mutually agreed to the finale. Meanwhile, Walker will launch a solo show, the Brandon Walker College Football Show, on August 3, while Smith will be focusing on more projects with the outlet’s partnership with FOX Sports. Both Walker and Smith will both continue hosting Barstool’s popular College Football Show.
What They Said: (all quotes via Unnecessary Roughness)
Brandon Walker on the end of the Unnecessary Roughness Podcast: “I am not doing the Brandon Walker College Football Show because I am tired of doing it with Kaycee Smith, or I don’t like Casey Smith. I love Kaycee Smith… I got hired on a whim and a joke. Honestly, I could have walked in this company. People turned their nose up at me. You want to do a college football show with me? She could have done that. She didn’t and welcomed me in. I walked in. She gave me a platform from day fu**ing one. She didn’t have to do that, and she did. I took it and did pretty good, but I don’t become Brandon Walker without Kaycee Smith.”
Kaycee Smith on the end of the Unnecessary Roughness Podcast: “I know that Barstool Sports is so different than it used to be. We used to all be in the same office, and we used to all be literally on top of each other, and now it’s so different. I am a host at this company. We know that I’m going to be hosting the College Football Show… You and I agreed on this. If you can end it on your own terms, then that’s what you should do. Because a lot of times it runs it into the dirt, and we’re not running it into the dirt.”
Brandon Walker on the launch of the Brandon Walker College Football Show on August 3: “I see the success of other guys out there that are doing solo stuff like [Josh] Pate and other guys. I just want to take a bite at the apple. I want to fu**ing try it and want to give it a shot. There’s no secret. At some point, I want to move back to Mississippi. I can’t do it if all of my success is tied to The Yak and Mostly Sports. I gotta have something that I can say, ‘Dave. This can go anywhere in the country. Let me take it to Mississippi.’ That is what I am doing here.”
What Remains Unclear: It’s unclear if Smith will make guest appearances on Walker’s new solo project. Also, Smith hinted at a new project involving fellow Barstool Sports personality Jon Gruden coming up for the football season. Details on that have not been released.
What It Means: Walker’s move mirrors a wider shift toward solo sports-media brands. In fact, he cited Josh Pate’s independent success as a model to follow. For Barstool, the split signals confidence in both hosts individually. Both outgrew the success of the joint podcast in their own right. Walker has become a star with several Barstool programs including The Yak, Wake Up Barstool, and Mostly Sports. Smith has also branched out to more projects, especially with the partnership with FOX Sports.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.