ESPN formally announces addition of Pat McAfee, reveals multidimensional role with network
ESPN made official on Wednesday the news that Pat McAfee will be joining the network as a member of College Gameday and appearing elsewhere on the network. He will make his debut this Saturday, Sept. 10, when Gameday comes live from Austin, Texas, ahead of the Alabama–Texas showdown.
According to a release from ESPN, McAfee will also contribute to postseason college football coverage and be on six alternate telecasts of college football games in partnership with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. He will also appear occasionally on “Get Up” and pitch in to ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage.
“College GameDay is one of those shows that is universally beloved. It’s an institution. It’s a Saturday tradition for everybody,” McAfee said in the release. “From truck drivers to suits and all the folks in between, GameDay is a staple of all of our fall routines. Getting the opportunity to join full time is an absolute honor. I understand the weight that the show holds in the sports universe and I will try my best to somehow add to it.”
“Pat is exceptionally talented and entertaining, and he was so well-received in his previous stint on College GameDay that we’ve wanted to reunite him with the show ever since,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the release. “We’re thrilled Pat is returning to ESPN for college football and for even more opportunities in the years ahead.”
McAfee’s rise in sports media has been rapid
The rise to media stardom has been rapid for McAfee It might have just taken a seminal step on Tuesday, as a report from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post indicates that he will become a full-time member of the College Gameday crew on ESPN.
McAfee has appeared on the show multiple times in the past as a guest picker. He has been floated as a potential replacement for Lee Corso when the former coach, and fixture on the program, retires.
McAfee, who kicked at West Virginia prior to his pro career, will also continue to do his daily radio show on YouTube, according to the report.