This is hopefully the first (and last) time I write about this person. Mainly because I haven’t been writing during his ascendency at ESPN and College Gameday, but also because I find him to just not be someone that I would engage with on any level.
College Gameday was just at the University of Utah for their matchup against Houston this past Saturday night. This was the second straight weekend that Gameday was in the Beehive State, as they had just set up shop in Provo for BYU/Notre Dame.
In advance of Gameday being there, though, the University of Utah released a short social media clip. That clip has since been removed from official University feeds, but it still exists via the magic of the internet:
The University of Utah has apologized to Pat McAfee over this video of students doing impressions of him before College GameDay.
McAfee said the video made him feel “uncomfortable.” https://t.co/pxpGP8Cvpp— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 27, 2026
Look, far be it for me to tell someone what makes them feel uncomfortable.
But here’s what the students said.
One said, “I’d say, like… Pat McAfee, he’s gonna say a corny line. He’s gonna be like, ‘Houston, we got a problem.’”
One said, “I would actually spend my money on the odds of Pat ripping his shirt off this morning.”
A third one said, “We love you, bro, but like, bro, keep the shirt on. I’m trying to see that. Like, we don’t care. These are college kids, bro, like, keep your shirt on. Oh my god.”
So basically, they called him corny and that he would most likely take his shirt off.
His reaction?
“The university puts that out,” he added. “Like, as I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then I’m walking in front of thousands of these people. This is how the university feels about it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’m like, I’m getting a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places. The university is putting this out? That something I just had never experienced really in my entire life.”
And then apparently, he drew a connection to the Charlie Kirk killing at Utah Valley University last year.
Bro, what?
The University of Utah rolled over and showed their belly and asked for skritches:
The University of Utah is grateful to have had the chance to welcome Pat McAfee and the entire ESPN College GameDay crew to campus. ESPN College GameDay has visited our campus seven times and we have always enjoyed a terrific relationship and positive experiences with the entire crew.
Our goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and we take full accountability for that decision.
University officials have reached out to Pat to express appreciation and regret. We sincerely apologize for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.
ESPN also released a statement, and I am chewing on a piece of rawhide right now:
The safety and security of our on-air team, crew and fans is paramount at College GameDay. We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.
Am I living in the same world as these people?
I know, I know. I am not. Because I am a mere member of the proletariat in this country.
But I know I can take a fucking joke better than that chode.
McAfee is one of the most thin-skinned, rabbit eared dudes in an industry that has a lot of them. And the amount of power, attention, and leverage that he has managed to acquire in such a brief period of time is revolting. He is a blight and a stain on the legacy of ESPN (which has its own dark history in many respects).
There has been a lot of discourse about how ESPN in general, and Gameday in particular has lost its way. It is not the same network, and it is definitely not the same show right now than what we used to have during the heyday. And things change and evolve all the time. That is not unusual.
But the crassness and bro-ification of Gameday since the former West Virginia kicker/punter has showed up has dragged the show to its current nadir.
To be fair, McAfee is quite familiar with a certain level of failure.
It seems to me, given his wrestling connections, that he wants to be a heel with the adoration of a face. He wants to be loved. Cheered. Liked by everyone.
He seems to lack the awareness that everyone is not going to like you. And calling you corny is not some huge slam.
But when you are insecure (which he seems to be), anything but fealty is going to be seen as a negative.
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