In his third season as a key cast member on ESPN’s legendary College GameDay, Pat McAfee knows his role.
Beyond going shirtless, dancing with Lee Corso, or coaxing Nick Saban’s brilliance, McAfee is perhaps never better than when he speaks directly with in-person fans on the GameDay set at college campuses across the country. From Berkeley to College Station, McAfee is an elite hype man who brings a passion that clearly speaks to college football fans.
In a new story on GameDay from Sports Business Journal, ESPN college football coordinating producer Matthew Garrett praised McAfee, calling the host a “weapon” who is better at interacting with a live audience than anyone on television.
“[McAfee] is a unique talent, and he has an incredible ability for engaging the on-site crowd,” Garrett said. “If you ask me, it’s unmatched by anybody else on television.”
“There is not anybody who I would rather have in front of a live audience than Pat. He’s just the best at it. He’s a weapon for us on the show and making every Saturday morning, really, appointment television.”
As the SBJ story notes, GameDay viewership is up in 2024. The storied morning show is averaging more than 2.1 million viewers each Saturday, on course for its most-watched season ever. While McAfee took the summer to deliberate on whether he would be back on GameDay this season or give into viewers more negative on his presence, ESPN clearly believes he’s a big reason for the show’s accelerating popularity.
“It’s our goal to put a show together for our viewers that’s a must-see every week, to give them a sense that your college football Saturday isn’t complete unless you’re kicking it off at 9 a.m. with GameDay,” Garrett added.
As Pat McAfee finds his footing and the show evolves, the retired punter appears to be right at home on GameDay.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.