Pat McAfee is officially moving his Pat McAfee Show over to ESPN this week, and that means more opportunities across the platform for the former NFL punter. One of those opportunities is going head-to-head with the loudest voice on the network, Stephen A Smith, on First Take.

Smith announced that Pat McAfee will join himself. Shannon Sharpe, and Molly Qerim on First Take every Tuesday.

Smith, Qerim, and Sharpe are currently in a ratings war with FS1’s Undisputed, hosted by Smith’s former debate partner at ESPN, Skip Bayless. McAfee, who debuted his wildly popular Pat McAfee Show on ESPN Thursday, should help the morning show draw even bigger ratings.

Bayless recently re-launched his debate show as Undisputed Live, following the departure of longtime co-host Sharpe, with a new lineup that includes Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman, Josina Anderson, and Rachel Nichols.

To combat this offensive, ESPN added Sharpe, and now McAfee will add more star power to the show.

This latest move from First Take has paid off in the ratings department, as Front Office Sports reports that “First Take’s two-day average was up 237% vs. “Undisputed,” said sources. With Sharpe and Smith facing off, “First Take” ratings exploded this week, according to sources. Sharpe’s debut averaged 754,000 viewers, up 30% from the year before, and became the second-most-watched “First Take” episode of the year behind only Feb. 13 (the day after Super Bowl 57).”

Pat McAfee’s first scheduled appearance with Stephen A Smith will come on Tuesday, September 12, the morning after the conclusion of Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.