SALT LAKE CITY — It was an uncomfortable Saturday morning for ESPN personality Pat McAfee, the “College GameDay” analyst said Monday on his eponymous daily show.
Explaining his weekend experience, McAfee said he “didn’t enjoy the University of Utah.”
McAfee took issue with an Instagram post made before the show began on the official University of Utah account (not the football or athletics accounts), which asked students to do an impression of McAfee.
“A kid says, ‘Ah, he’s old-fashioned.’ Another kid calls me scary,” McAfee said. “OK, if these kids would have done this on their own blogs, it’s fine. I mean, everyone shoots me for everything anyway, I get it.
“The university publishes this,” he added. “Like, when I was getting ready to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then I’m walking in front of thousands of people. That’s what the university feels like. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’m like, I’m getting a lot of shrapnel coming from a lot of places. The university is broadcasting that? That’s something I’ve never really experienced in my entire life.”
McAfee said it “discouraged me a little,” which was evident to many viewers of the TV show. The usually over-the-top personality, which draws on his love of the places he visits, appeared more reserved throughout the morning.
Even during the show’s popular finale segment where he makes his matchup pick, McAfee quickly explained his reasoning before picking Houston to win the game.
“It’s tough to fight against this powerful Utah student section, but I’m going to do it 10 times out of 10,” he said. “Give me Houston comes out of here with a major double and proves Utah hasn’t had to play anyone yet.
“Congratulations to Houston for a huge victory here in Salt Lake City,” he added. “Thanks guys. I’ll never see you again, I hope.”
The reaction left many wondering what happened during his time in Utah for him to say he never wanted to return. But McAfee said his mind immediately went to the Charlie Kirk shooting more than a year ago, which put him in a different frame of mind.
“I wondered: Did anything really scary happen recently at a college gathering at Utah State? Like, do we think we should amplify the reasons why people hate my guts as a college? I don’t know,” he said. “So it was just I had a lot of mixed feelings going there.”
That, combined with a student asking for more money during his “kicking is easy” segment, made him “uncomfortable” at college, he said.
Utah hosted its seventh “College GameDay” broadcast and third in the last four seasons, with McAfee previously loving his time in the state – even making several new friends within the state. But Saturday was enough for the ESPN personality to say he never wants to come back.
“I hope I never go to that place,” he said. “I think I have COVID or something every time GameDay comes back, if I’m still a part of GameDay. But I didn’t enjoy the morning there. They have an amazing student section, from what I understand, and they have a good football team, so I’m pretty impressed. I just didn’t like the varsity taking a shot at me.”
He did, however, say he had a “phenomenal GameDay” experience, including being with former Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, who he credited with being the only person to pick UCF to upset BYU.
“I was just very, very uncomfortable,” he said. “So, I guess it didn’t make for the best morning. But it was a phenomenal GameDay. Thanks to everyone who came.”
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