SEC Network debuting new theme song for The Paul Finebaum Show featuring Oklahoma, Texas

The additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC mean that The Paul Finebaum Show theme song needs some updating.

The show is set to debut an updated “Call Paul” theme song on Monday with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, the SEC Network has announced in a press release.

The updated song will include mentions of Oklahoma and Texas after they officially joined the SEC on Monday. Taylor Hicks will appear on the show to discuss his new theme song.

Taylor Hicks, who is described as “an avid SEC fan and longtime friend of Finebaum” in a press release, wrote the original “Call Paul” theme song in 2019. The updated version will be played from the University of Oklahoma campus as the SEC Network is in Norman to celebrate OU joining the SEC.

Taylor Hicks is an Alabama native who went to college at Auburn. He was voted the American Idol winner in 2006.

As for The Paul Finebaum Show, it is a four-hour show where Finebaum welcomes on guests and callers throughout to discuss the SEC. It is broadcast on the SEC Network, as well as ESPN Radio. The show airs live from Charlotte.

Paul Finebaum has been on the radio since 2001, when he launched the Paul Finebaum Radio Network. Finebaum signed a deal to join ESPN in 2013 and has been there ever since.

Greg Sankey explains how Oklahoma, Texas fit in SEC

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey believes the additions of Oklahoma and Texas are right in line with the identity of the conference. The Sooners and Longhorns both bring supportive fan bases and a history of athletic success with them.

That was a big factor in what led Sankey to extend the offer to both schools, whose acceptance set the college sports world on fire in 2021. Now, with OU and Texas officially joining the SEC, Sankey spoke on what it means for the conference in a recent appearance on SEC Network.

“It goes back to an athletic directors’ conversation,” he said. “Scott Stricklin at Florida, we were talking generally about potential new members years ago and he said, ‘you need to apply the It Just Means More test.’ So, on a campus and in an athletic department an university, does what they do as an athletic program meet that kind of expectation that we have? Obviously (Oklahoma and Texas) do.”

As Sankey said, there’s no doubt that adding Oklahoma and Texas strengthens the conference. The two schools have huge brands and excel in a number of sports, including football.