Pat McAfee just became immensely more important to ESPN's future of following latest college football news despite controversies
In the hours leading up to the 2023 SEC Championship between Alabama and Georgia, ESPN's College Gameday crew closed its show in their traditional way: By leaving the game of the week predictions until the very end. First up was Desmond Howard, who took the Crimson Tide after briefly and calmly describing the physicality of Alabama's defense. […]
In the hours leading up to the 2023 SEC Championship between Alabama and Georgia, ESPN's College Gameday crew closed its show in their traditional way: By leaving the game of the week predictions until the very end.
First up was Desmond Howard, who took the Crimson Tide after briefly and calmly describing the physicality of Alabama's defense. Next, Kirk Herbstreit quickly broke down how wild it was to see Nick Saban's team be the underdog before picking Georgia.
Other than guest Theo Von, it was time for the two stars of the show to close it out: Lee Corso and Pat McAfee.
Pat began by saying Georgia had won 29 games in a row before suddenly taking a sharp turn and starting a Bulldogs chant as thousands of fans inside the building repeated after him: "WHAT'S THAT COMING DOWN THE TRACK? IT'S THE MEAN MACHINE IN THE RED AND BLACK!"
Right when the chant ended, McAfee took a page out of Corso's book, who often leads fans one way before revealing he's picking the other team in heartbreaking fashion:
"Give me Alabama!" McAfee shouted as the rest of the crew broke in laughter.
The clip went viral. It has millions upon millions of combined views all over the internet. It was yet another display of showmanship from McAfee, the former NFL player turned podcast host turned media personality turned the biggest name in football media. Since his arrival at College Gameday, he owned the spotlight of the show in a way only Corso has before. Parlayed with a titanic social media presence and a daily show now airing on ESPN and his own YouTube channel, he's become a monster in the industry.
That gets us to April 2025: ESPN announced Thursday Lee Corso is hanging it up in Week 1 of the college football season. For millions of fans, it will be a bittersweet day to see the icon call it a career. Despite his on-and-off final years on the show, Corso remained a joy to watch on TV with his spot-on comments and predictions combined with his unique style.
The headgear picks, the "not so fast!" remarks, and the classic whispering tone he adopted before making an important prediction about a game. All of it will be missed. But it also points to McAfee.
Simply put, he's become much more important for the broadcasting network than ever before. I've always thought College Gameday has a special place among college football fans because it's about more than analysts in suits dishing out their takes and analysis. Fans can get that on FOX's preview show. They can get it on countless podcasts and if they want team-specific content, they can get much more in-depth analysis elsewhere.
But College Gameday provides an extra spark. Corso did it for years and it wasn't just the headgear picks. It was his unique personality showing up during the entire show. Regardless of the quality of their breakdowns, Howard and Herbstreit don't provide that.
McAfee has since he joined the show.
Yes, the former punter has been under the spotlight for several controversies, be it his clashes with ESPN management or spreading rumors. There's plenty of ways he can improve. But right now, his importance within the broadcasting network is skyrocketing.
Without McAfee, Gameday would be just another preview show. They can't afford to lose him.
