Pat McAfee won’t commit to ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ beyond 2023 amid fan backlash

Pat McAfee is already questioning his own fit at ESPN in some respect.

McAfee, who signed a five-year $85 million pact with ESPN — a pay cut from his four-year, $120 million deal from FanDuel — isn’t sure he’ll be in the long-term plans for College GameDay.

The four-letter network’s flagship college football show has made McAfee a mainstay, but he is seemingly not for everyone, as he pointed out on X in response to a post from Chris Vannini, a college football writer from The Athletic.

Vannini posted feedback regarding McAfee’s impact on College GameDay, to which the reviews were mixed, and highlighted two that read, “I don’t watch GameDay anymore solely because of Pat McAfee” and “I think Pat McAfee adds a great energy to GameDay and I don’t understand the hate for him at all.”

McAfee replied, “I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay,” he wrote. “It’s one of the biggest reasons why I have not [re-signed] a contract with the legendary show. I’m not right for some crowds and the ‘distinguished’ College Football folks are definitely one of those.

“It’s been an absolute blast and an honor to be at that desk and to work with the fine folks of that family…” he continued. “It’s also been really fun to work 7 days a week for the last 2 football seasons.”

The reader survey from The Athletic revealed that of the more than 3,100 participants, 48.9 percent said they “don’t like” McAfee on GameDay. Only 30.1% of responders said that they did like him on the show.

McAfee joined “College GameDay” prior to last season, even before making the move to ESPN earlier this year, which he then called “One of the biggest days” of his life.