Pat McAfee Blasts Utah Over “Uncomfortable” Gameday Experience After Shocking End to Broadcast
from Essentially College Football
Salt Lake City was the center of the college football world on Saturday as ESPN’s College GameDay rolled onto the University of Utah campus ahead of the Utes’ matchup with Houston that evening. Pat McAfee was right where fans expected him to be, carrying out his usual duties. But what should have been just another stop on the GameDay tour appears to have turned into a far less enjoyable experience for McAfee. He’d rank it among his worst.
On the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL star opened up about just how much his experience in Utah had affected him. McAfee admitted that the trip had put him in an unfamiliar and deeply uncomfortable position.
“If these kids would have done this on their own vlog, I’d have been okay with it,” McAfee said on his show Monday. “The university puts that out as I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place? I’m walking in front of thousands of people. This is how the university feels about me? It’s an uncomfortable feeling.”
What was he talking about? Well, before McAfee went to the University, he saw a video on their official Instagram page, where the students were mocking him. One of the students called him “creepy,” while another called him “corny”.
One predicted he would shout, “Houston, we got a problem!” Another addressed him directly: “We love you, bro, but, like, bro, keep the shirt on.”
To make matters worse, the video was not uploaded by students. It was on the University’s official Instagram page, which rubbed McAfee the wrong way. He was worried about his safety.
His discomfort was apparent in the way he had ended his College GameDay broadcast. “I’ll never see you again, hopefully,” he said before going off air.
And on his show, he doubled down on it.
“I’ll hopefully never go to that place. I did not enjoy the morning there, but they do have an incredible student section, from my understanding, and they have a good football team,” McAfee added.
But McAfee’s unhappiness doesn’t end there. He was also unimpressed when a Utah student compared the $1 million prize offered in the “College GameDay” kicking contest in Salt Lake City with the $3 million awarded to a BYU student for making the kick.
“Then obviously the kicker goes, ‘Only $1 million, only $1 million.’ It’s like, all right, I hate this place. I hate this place. They got a good football team, though. They got a good football team,” McAfee said. “I’ve never been more uncomfortable, honestly, in my life walking in front of a group of people after watching their university put out a post basically dogging me just moments before.”
Earlier in the broadcast, the ESPN analyst explained that the prize money was lower this time because his billionaire friend, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, had contributed to the pot the previous week but did not do so on this occasion.
The constant mockery surrounding McAfee left him uncomfortable, turning his Utah experience into one he would rather not repeat. He even admitted that he hoped he wouldn’t have to return to the campus for another edition of College GameDay. Still, despite his disappointment, McAfee gave credit where it was due. He praised the student section and the football team, acknowledging that the event itself had been a success even if his own experience fell short of expectations.
“But the university gaslighting some of it right before I go out there to talk about your school, especially with what happened 40 miles south of Salt Lake City a little over a year ago; it’s like I did not enjoy that. I was very, very uncomfortable,” McAfee said.
The reference to “40 miles south” points back to a September 2025 tragedy at Utah Valley University. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking on campus during his tour.
Pat McAfee felt the university was playing a risky game by pushing a hostile, mocking video right before sending him into a massive, unpredictable crowd in the same region.
In fact, an ESPN spokesperson supported McAfee. On Monday, the spokesperson mentioned:
“The safety and security of our on-air team, crew, and fans is paramount at College GameDay. We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.”
The University of Utah issues a statement
Hours after Pat McAfee’s video started doing rounds of the internet, the University of Utah issued an apology on its official Instagram page.
It apologized for the video and further stated: “Our goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts, and we take full accountability for that decision.
“University officials have reached out to Pat to express appreciation and regret. We sincerely apologize for creating and perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.”