Report: Pat McAfee has considered starting independent version of College GameDay

On Thursday, The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand released a story examining ESPN sports personality Pat McAfee. Within the report, Marchand alleged that McAfee has tossed around the idea of starting his own version of ESPN’s College GameDay.

“Pat McAfee has mused with associates about starting his own, independent version of College GameDay,” The Athletic wrote on X. “McAfee has two years left on his College GameDay contract. Last year, he considered not returning before re-signing.”

In September 2022, McAfee struck a five-year deal with ESPN, reportedly worth $85 million. In turn, McAfee joined ESPN’s College GameDay as a co-host and brought his show, The Pat McAfee Show, which previously aired on YouTube, to ESPN.

The beloved show has ushered in a new era of daytime television at ESPN, and includes recurring interviews from some of the sports world’s biggest names, such as Bill Belichick and Aaron Rodgers. While McAfee’s show has been successful for ESPN, it hasn’t come without some controversy.

McAfee brought the show to ESPN under the condition that he and his co-hosts would be allowed to swear. ESPN agreed, making The Pat McAfee Show the first of its kind in the company’s storied broadcasting history.

Alas, McAfee’s unfiltered comments on the show have occasionally put him in hot water. In April, Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett announced that she intended to take legal action against McAfee, alleging he helped spread a false rumor about her.

This wasn’t the first time McAfee faced backlash for his comments on the show.  In 2023, McAfee faced defamation allegations from NFL legend Brett Favre for claiming that the former quarterback stole money from “poor people in Mississippi.”

McAfee’s time on College GameDay hasn’t caused nearly as much controversy. In fact, longtime host Kirk Herbstreit admitted in January that the addition of McAfee to the show stopped him from leaving the award-winning program. Nonetheless, even McAfee’s success stories have a few odd turns in them.

“During a GameDay stop in Norman, Oklahoma, last fall, McAfee grew upset about being shown swinging and missing during a segment in which he faced a University of Oklahoma softball pitcher,” Marchand wrote. “McAfee, according to sources, demanded to know the name of the GameDay staff member who put it on the air, but he was denied the information.”

According to Marchand, McAfee’s musings about starting his own version of College GameDay appear to be just daydreams for now. However, if history has taught us anything, McAfee isn’t afraid to take chances.