We now know exactly what set Pat McAfee off during his trip to the University of Utah for College GameDay.
And you can decide for yourself whether it warranted the reaction.
The video that McAfee took issue with ahead of Saturday’s show has resurfaced after the University of Utah deleted the original post from its social media accounts.
The video featured Utah students being asked to do their best Pat McAfee impression or give their thoughts on the ESPN personality.
Here’s the video:
That’s it.
In the video, one student calls McAfee “corny,” while another jokes about McAfee taking his shirt off and describes the routine as creepy.
McAfee explained Monday that his bigger issue wasn’t necessarily what the students said, but that the video was shared in conjunction with an official University of Utah social media account shortly before he was set to appear in front of thousands of Utah fans.
“I’ve never been more uncomfortable, honestly, in my life walking in front of a group of people after watching the university put out a post basically dogging me just moments before,” McAfee said.
McAfee went much further during Monday’s show, saying he hopes he never has to return to Utah for College GameDay and referencing the 2025 shooting at Utah Valley University while explaining why the social media post made him uncomfortable.
The University of Utah has since apologized for the post, saying its goal was to create “lighthearted engagement” around McAfee’s return to campus but acknowledging that it “missed the mark.”
Pat McAfee Missed the Point
Frankly, this is where McAfee doesn’t seem to get it.
Watch the video again. These are college kids being college kids. They’re calling McAfee corny. They’re joking about him taking his shirt off. They’re doing impressions of him. And the bigger takeaway should be that they’re all talking about him. McAfee has become such a huge part of the College GameDay brand that when you stick a camera in front of college students and ask them about the show, he’s the guy they have an opinion about. That’s not disrespect. That’s relevance.
And here’s the other part McAfee should recognize: some of the things that people call “corny” are part of what has made him so successful. The tank tops, the theatrics, standing on a chair, taking his shirt off, firing up the crowd and occasionally going completely over the top — that’s Pat McAfee. He’s not Kirk Herbstreit, and he’s not trying to be. That’s exactly why ESPN brought him to College GameDay in the first place.
More importantly, McAfee has brilliantly helped GameDay navigate what looked like an almost impossible transition from Lee Corso. Nobody was ever going to replace Corso by trying to become the next Lee Corso. McAfee has instead brought his own personality, energy and unpredictability to the show. He’s become the guy who gets the student section fired up and gives the show some of the chaos that made Corso such a beloved part of Saturday mornings.
That’s why this reaction feels so misguided.
If you’re going to become one of the biggest personalities in college football by being loud, outrageous and occasionally corny, you have to be able to laugh when a bunch of college kids call you loud, outrageous and occasionally corny.
McAfee shouldn’t be offended by this video.
If anything, he should take it as a compliment. He’s become important enough to College GameDay that the students can’t stop talking about him. Whether it’s on Joe’s Blog or the University’s social media. It’s about him. That’s the ultimate WIN for Pat McAfee.
Sometimes in media, seeing the forest through the trees matters. McAfee can typically do that, but he missed the mark on Monday.
Watch McAfee’s Reaction
And lastly, if you haven’t seen McAfee’s reaction to the entire saga. Check it out here. And you can determine for yourself whether or not he overreacted.
