Pat McAfee says he won’t miss the University of Utah. On Monday’s show, he ripped the school over a social media post during College GameDay’s visit.
What We Know: GameDay broadcast from Utah on Saturday ahead of the Utes’ matchup with Houston. Shortly before the show began, the university’s Instagram account posted a video of students doing McAfee impressions. In the clip, one student called him “corny.” Another called him “creepy.” The school has since deleted the post. Later in the show, a Utah student attempted McAfee’s $1 million field goal kick. Before kicking, she questioned why a BYU contestant had a shot at $3 million. She missed the kick.
What They Said: “I did not enjoy the University of Utah. “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. Especially after what happened about 40 miles south a little bit over a year ago, I did not enjoy that.” –Pat McAfee
What Remains Unclear: The University of Utah has not publicly responded to McAfee’s comments. Additionally, it’s unclear who approved the post before it went live.
What It Means: Pat McAfee is one of ESPN’s biggest stars, and GameDay visits are a major showcase for schools. As a result, this kind of public falling-out is rare. On GameDay Saturday, McAfee ended the show by picking Houston and telling a live crowd he hoped to never see them again. During Monday’s show, he told AJ Hawk that he hated the place though he did credit Utah for having a good football team. He said that he might have Covid in the future if the show returns there. His comments show how social media and last year’s shooting of Charlie Kirk still weighs on public figures at large events.
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