Pat McAfee ended up not punting.
On Thursday, the ESPN commentator announced he would be returning to the show’s flagship college pregame show, “College GameDay.”
“After living my dream job with such a talented team of people both in front of and off camera, when my contract was up, I thought long and hard about whether I was the right person for this amazing job? There are millions of people who want to take my seat. Is this what I want to do?
“And the thought that I had over and over was, yeah, I’m blessed. I’m honored. I’m humbled. I’m grateful. And I’m back.”
McAfee joined the program in 2022, which boasts key members such as Rese Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and legendary coach Nick Saban, who replaced David Pollack.
McAfee has also been unashamed in sharing information about contractual discussions.
“Obviously, there’s been some lingering drama,” McAfee said, referring to his lingering “Gameday” future. “We’ve been talking about it. [content president] Burke [Magnus] Jimmy [Pitaro]Obviously. …Then some ESPN lawyer tried to be a super genius. I Closed Sicily Ned I broke up with him. I ended up becoming a free agent and it was a real soul-searching moment for me.”
McAfee didn’t stop there, attacking other traditional media figures as well.
“To that lawyer, you’re a genius. You’ve caused a lot of problems,” McAfee said. “But at the end of the day, this American tank-topped stooge could always get you a handle on the negotiating table, even if I was wearing shorts. Remember that. To all the journalists who are talking about this, I’d love to sit in a room with you one-on-one and see what happens.”
The controversial McAfee has never been afraid to criticize one of his largest employers.
After ESPN released its list of the top 100 athletes of the century in July, McAfee blasted the rankings during a broadcast on the network.
McAfee also spoke candidly about a poll by The Athletic in which 48.9 percent of respondents said they “don’t like” watching the former punter on “College GameDay.”
A controversy he took to ESPN. CraSH/Shutterstock
“The fact that I caused those guys a terrible morning weighs heavy on this stupid athlete’s mind,” McAfee said. “Every time I think about it, I’m like, ‘You know what?’ I have an opportunity to do this. I still have an opportunity to do this. I need to do this.”
McAfee and the rest of the GameDay crew are scheduled to kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 24 when Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
The program will then travel to College Station, Texas, for the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game in Week 1 on August 31st.
