Kirk Herbstreit Reveals Unseen Side of Pat McAfee After He Vowed to Save ESPN Employees from Firing

When the West Virginia alum, Pat McAfee, joined ESPN’s College GameDay, fans had plenty to say, and not all of it was kind. The move felt loud, brash, and, in typical McAfee fashion, chaotic. But behind the tank tops, F-bombs, and viral moments lies a surprising story of loyalty and work ethic that rarely makes headlines. ESPN braced for widespread cuts and budget trims, McAfee stepped in behind the scenes. He offered to foot the bill for some of GameDay’s at-risk segments out of his own pocket.

That revelation came courtesy of longtime GameDay anchor Kirk Herbstreit on the Next Man Up podcast with John Crist. Herbstreit, in his 30th year with the show, peeled back the curtain on what it’s really like to work with McAfee. “He’s fantastic. His energy has been a game changer…” Herbstreit said. “You could say whatever you want about, you know, he wears tank tops and yells and takes his shirt off, but what you miss is the prep that he does. Like all of us on the show, because we work our a– off on that show, is how hard he works… Like, if you actually listen to what he’s saying, [he] clearly has done his homework.”

For a guy best known for bro energy and chaos, McAfee’s influence runs deep. Herbstreit admitted that after 30 years, the grind had him questioning whether to keep going. Then Pat McAfee showed up. “He just brings some authentic energy. I think that’s why those of us on the set, number one, we love him and his personality, but we really respect that he shows up ready to go,” Herbstreit said. But it’s not just the crew. Herbstreit’s sons (ages 18 to 25) are dialed in too.

Outgoing personality usually attracts a lot of friction and is not always needed. During 2025 NFL Draft week, Pat McAfee stirred serious controversy when he veered wildly off-topic, discussing a salacious that Ole Miss student’s private life case on-air. So off-script it nearly ended in a lawsuit. That moment only amplified the divide in the circles. The Athletic poll from two seasons ago revealed the split: 48.9% of over 3,000 respondents disapproved of McAfee’s GameDay presence, while only 30.1% were fans.

Yet, ESPN knew what it was signing up for: a firestarter in a suit—or a tank top, rather. With Lee Corso stepping back due to health issues, McAfee wasn’t just an injection of youth. He was ratings gold. Or, as John Crist put it, “My negotiating power is in, ‘These people are here to see me’. ” McAfee brought eyeballs and wasn’t shy about being unfiltered, even if that meant some live F-bombs with no delay.

“There’s no one like Pat. I don’t know if there’s anyone like Pat. To Pat’s credit…he’s kind of one of one,”Herbstreit said. In a media landscape where every move is choreographed, McAfee thrives in chaos, yet somehow does the homework, too. That paradox, it turns out, is what’s made him indispensable.

The moment Pat McAfee put his money where his tank top was

Say what you will about Pat McAfee—he’s loud, unpredictable, and allergic to sleeves—but behind all the bravado is a guy with a serious heart. While his antics on College GameDay split the audience like a deep post route, McAfee has quietly become the show’s most generous MVP.

During a recent GameDay Zoom meeting, when ESPN execs announced budget cuts affecting key aspects of production, McAfee didn’t hesitate. “Budget is always a big thing in our industry,” Herbstreit said. “And trying to cut back on certain things. And they (ESPN) made an announcement that they were going to cut back on this and cut back on that.” Then came the mic-drop moment.

“We were on a Zoom, and Pat was listening to that, and even I was listening to that like ‘why are they cutting back on that? That doesn’t make any sense. And Pat decided to say, ‘Okay, if you’re going to cut back on that, I’ll cover that because the crew, the people around the show, they need to have that. So he was like, ‘If you guys are going to do your budget thing, I’m taking care of the crew.’ And everyone was like, wow. Upper management heard that, and they said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We don’t need Pat to cover that. We’ll take care of that.”

Upper management scrambled to shut it down but the message was loud and clear. McAfee rides for his people. And yes, his style may ruffle some of the suit-and-tie crowd. But as the saying goes: it’s just sports. And in Pat’s world, that means big laughs, bigger gestures, and a heart as loud as his voice.