As college sports sees a rise in popularity, more prominent voices are joining the space. On3 is breaking down the top influencers, brands and creators on X from 2025.

While football leads the charge, specifically from TV ratings standpoint, college athletics as a whole is on the rise. There’s also an overlap at this point in the calendar. Men’s and women’s basketball are entering their final stretches before the NCAA Tournament, while baseball and softball are both now underway.

As a result, there’s plenty for fans to discuss. Here are the top influencers, brands and creators leading that charge on X, based on total impressions in 2025, according to data from Socialpruf.

Affiliation: Barstool Sports, FOX Big Noon Kickoff
Impressions: 4.51 billion
Average per post: 1.01M

With 4.51 billion impressions on X, Dave Portnoy led college sports in 2025. The president of Barstool Sports, he also joined FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff last college football season.

Affiliation: Barstool Sports
Impressions: 3.72 billion
Average per post: 332k

One half of Pardon My Take, Dan “Big Cat” Katz generated 3.72 billion impressions on X in 2025. Along with his work on PMT, he also contributed to Big Noon Kickoff.

Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)

Affiliation: Pat McAfee Show, ESPN College GameDay
Impressions: 3.4 billion
Average per post: 292k

With 3.4 billion impressions on X, Pat McAfee ranked third among college sports influencers, brands and creators in 2025. He just completed his third season on ESPN’s College GameDay and his daily show aired its second full year on ESPN’s airwaves, as well.

On3 (@On3)

Impressions: 2.36 billion
Average per post: 1.06M

On3, the leading sports media and technology company delivering trusted coverage and connectivity across youth, high school, college sports, and NIL, generated 2.36 billion impressions on X in 2025. That’s the most among college sports brands.

Clay Travis (@ClayTravis)

Affiliation: Outkick
Impressions: 1.65 billion
Average per post: 249k

Clay Travis, founder of Outkick, brought 1.65 billion impressions on X in 2025. He also hosts Outkick: The Show, where he’s active in the college sports discussion.

Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein)

Affiliation: CBS Sports
Impressions: 1.08 billion
Average per post: 94.8k

One of the prominent college basketball insiders, Jon Rothstein topped 1 billion impressions on X in 2025. Known for his trademark catchphrases, the CBS Sports reporter has developed a strong following in the space.

Affiliation: Barstool Sports
Impressions: 1.02 billion
Average per post: 297k

The other half of Pardon My Take, Eric “PFT Commenter” Sollenberger was also in the Top 10 college sports influencers, brands and creators on X in 2025. He generated 1.02 billion impressions on X while starring on PMT alongside Dan “Big Cat” Katz.

Affiliation: FOX Sports
Impressions: 953 million
Average per post: 227k

FOX Sports’ College Football X account generated 953 million impressions on X in 2025, which ranked in the Top 10 among brands, creators and influencers. The network posts highlights, as well as clips from interviews and Big Noon Kickoff, throughout the year.

Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel)

Affiliation: ESPN
Impressions: 836 million
Average per post: 316k

ESPN’s senior college football insider, Pete Thamel brought 836 million impressions on X in 2025. He is also part of College GameDay and co-hosts the College GameDay podcast alongside Rece Davis.

Hayes Fawcett (@HayesFawcett3)

Affiliation: On3 | Rivals
Impressions: 822 million
Average per post: 389k

Rounding out the Top 10 college sports influencers, brands and creators for 2025, On3 | Rivals recruiting and transfer portal reporter Hayes Fawcett generated 822 million impressions on X. He is the go-to for commitment announcements on social media.

More top college sports accounts

Will Compton – Bussin’ With The Boys (@_willcompton): 769 million
/r/CFB – Reddit (@RedditCFB): 762 million
Liam Blutman – Barstool Sports (@Blutman27): 742 million
Robert Griffin III – FOX Sports (@RGIII): 723 million
Rivals (@Rivals): 647 million
Yahoo! Sports (@YahooSports): 549 million
Josh Pate – Josh Pate’s College Football Show (@JoshPateCFB): 540 million
Tate Moore – Barstool Sports (@BarstoolTate): 537 million
Lane Kiffin – LSU football (@Lane_Kiffin): 478 million
The Athletic (@TheAthletic): 474 million
Brandon Walker – Barstool Sports (@BFW): 446 million
ESPN College Football – ESPN (@ESPNCFB): 440 million
Unnecessary Roughness – Barstool Sports (UnnecRoughness): 416 million
Pete Nakos – On3 (@PeteNakos): 411 million
Brett McMurphy – On3 (@Brett_McMurphy): 407 million

Through 2025, college sports popularity surged, and social media was a big factor. That trend is expected to continue going forward, with more voices sure to enter the space.