Pat McAfee Says Utah Visit Felt Uncomfortable

Pat McAfee said he felt uncomfortable during ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast at the University of Utah after the university’s official social media account posted—and later removed—a video of students calling him “corny” and “creepy.” He said the criticism felt different coming from the university while he was appearing before its fans, and cited last year’s fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University when explaining his unease. McAfee also objected to a student comparing College GameDay’s $1 million kicking-contest prize with BYU’s $3 million prize, picked Houston to win and said he hoped not to return to Utah. During the broadcast, he went shirtless and mocked a critical column in The Athletic questioning his prominent role on the show.