“Hate me or like me; You can’t ignore me,” is a phrase that many would describe Pat McAfee with. As the energetic former NFL punter continues to dabble across territories—radio, TV, podcasting, and ESPN’s “College GameDay”, in tandem with his run-ins with different professions—one thing’s clear: Audiences are slowly warming up to him. No, it’s not us saying it, but hard facts that were presented by some industry insiders.

On November 25, David Ubben and Chris Vannini discussed McAfee’s impact on college football on Until Saturday, The Athletic’s college football podcast. Ubben started the discussion by highlighting how the college football audience is growing fond of McAfee. “The percentage of respondents who did not like him dropped from 48.9% to 42.5 %, and those who do like him increased from 30.1% to 37.7%. I like what he adds to the show. I like the kicking segment,” Ubben said.

For the unversed, the kicking segment is as literal as it sounds: Live spectators get a chance to flaunt their inner football pundits for a chance to kick a field goal. Evidently, it has been a huge hit among audiences, with one college student even taking home a staggering $200,000 barely a week ago.

Having said that, Vannini pointed out how the ride hasn’t been that smooth for McAfee. “He talked about last year about possibly not coming back to GameDay because people were really mad at him.” Case in point: A reader survey by The Athletic last year revealed that 48.9% of the more than 3,100 respondents “don’t like” McAfee on GameDay, while only 30.1% did like him on the show, leading the host to announce last year in October, that he hadn’t “resigned a contract with the legendary show” as he’s not “right for some crowds and the ‘distinguished’ College Football folks”.

However, much has changed now. What works for McAfee? “He’s really added an energy to that show. He knows how to lean into the crowds. He’s great in front of live crowds. He’ll sing the fight song, the chants, he’ll really get people into it.”

Well, who can forget the broadcaster’s rendition of the Georgia Bulldogs’ chant last year, getting the Dawgs’ fanbase to join him? However, pulling off a hilarious prank, just when everyone thought he’d pick Kirby Smart’s team, McAfee flipped the script and chose Alabama to win the SEC championship in 2023, shocking his co-hosts, and immediately breaking into a “Roll Tide” chant.

But, don’t assume that Pat deserves all the credit for GameDay’s success this year because Nick Saban plays a crucial role in the program, too. Vannini says McAfee and Saban work together for the contrast they bring to the show. “Having the Yin and Yang of McAfee and Saban is helping people. So, it’s not just McAfee all the time. It’s Saban doing some things and so on.”

But let’s also not forget that the show was already on a high before the former Alabama Crimson Tide coach arrived. “The ratings of College GameDay the last two years, the highest they have ever been, and probably going to break it this year. So, it’s working,” Vannini pointed out.

If you didn’t know, College GameDay had an averaged 2.1 million viewers for the season in 2022, which was 8% higher than in 2021 and the second-highest-watched season in the program’s history. With an average viewership of 2.0 million, the 2023 season fell just short of the previous year’s record. However, the 2024 season has gotten off to a great start, with an average of 2.2 million viewers across the first 4 episodes and an overall record of 2.9 million viewers during the last hour of broadcasting.

Notably, since having McAfee over, ESPN had to balance things out as a conflict brewed between him and Stephen A. Smith—another jewel in the company’s crown. 

Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith’s conflict

Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee are the two most well-known figures at ESPN. There appears to be a growing power struggle between the two, even though they each have distinct responsibilities they play for the firm. McAfee has his The Pat McAfee Show, while Smith rules the sports coverage with First Take.

While nothing has been out in the open, there have been signs that they don’t get along. At first, it was said that Smith had prohibited McAfee from making an appearance on First Take, where McAfee frequently appeared. The most public hint we got was a tweet from McAfee on October 23, 2024, where he made a public appeal for guests on his show to cover basketball. McAfee did not directly put it on some No-McAfee ban imposed by Smith and instead gave scheduling as a reason for his inability to have ESPN’s NBA analysts on this show.

The tweet read: “I need an NBA expert(s) for the progrum… not everyday.. just someone to FaceTime periodically thru the season. I will pay, because I pay everybody for their contributions to our show.”

“Obviously.. when licensing our show thru ESPN, we thought it’d be easy to get NBA folks from the ESPN roster.. That has not been the case.. The @ESPNNBA crew has been rather impossible to work with due to their daily scheduling during season.. afternoons are TOUGH for the entire group…Sooooo… Which ex-NBA players do you think would be a great representative of the Association on our dumbass show?”

This scenario has changed since NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski left the company and Shams Charania replaced him. However, that hasn’t been the only source of conflict. Another reason is money. Stephen A. Smith’s contract is up for expiry next July, and he is reportedly demanding big money. What’s big?

“Smith has reportedly been seeking some $25 million per year. While $18 million might seem like a ton of dough, I’m told Stephen A. wants McAfee bucks. Indeed, WME’s response to ESPN was to point to Pat McAfee’s deal, which nets close to $30 million per year between his studio show and ‘College made’ appearances,” industry insider John Ourand had revealed in June this year.

Despite their ‘it’s all love’ comments in public, we understand it’s a cold war out there. While both Smith and McAfee may end up as winners, other employees are likely to face the brunt of another impending layoff.