Nothing we write about Pat McAfee can describe the phenomenal energy he brings with him wherever he goes. And that’s exactly what he brought to the end of College GameDay in Miami. He turned the end into a must-see segment where he marched from the set to the university’s high dive, stripped into his Speedos, and shouted, “THE U IS BACK!” before launching a clean pencil dive into the pool. The video instantly became a viral clip of week 4. It wasn’t just a random dive either. It was a bit with immaculate form and showmanship. 

It was the setup that made it pop. The set was made on Miami’s Lakeside Patio next to an Olympic-sized pool with a high diving platform. McAfee took advantage of that geography and trekked from the set to the ladder and lost his breath twice during that stretch. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, and guest picker Matthew Tkachuk all watched and laughed as McAfee hit the board. The fans, though, were split between calling it epic and eye-rolling at it and calling it excess. This has been a recurring theme anyway since McAfee joined the show.

But it was only later that McAfee revealed the hidden heart behind his bit. His bit was a quiet tribute to Lee Corso and his iconic Ticonderoga No. 2 pencil. He said on the Pat McAfee show, “And right there, I didn’t have a mic on, I said, ‘Coach Corso.’ This pencil is for you, okay, and the reason why I did a pencil is because, first of all, I thought it was sweet to honor Coach Corso like that. But also the thought of just dying up there was much less with the pencil. That’s how it all came together. ” McAfee also shared that, “he “appreciate[s] the hell out of ” Corso while getting choked up over a call the legend made after the dive.

GameDay is now navigating life after Coach Corso’s retirement and his iconic headgear pick. So, now, the final pick needs to feel sacred without being a cosplay of the original. McAfee’s solution of honoring the legacy of coach Corso while pushing to a dangerously new lane of physical comedy and unabashed theatrics is something that keeps the viewer guessing. 

The backlash? It’s part of the package, and McAfee is used to it. But everyone, including the critics, acknowledges that McAfee’s antics are making the viewership higher. And if people were still thinking about who would succeed Coach Corso, the answer has always been McAfee. He won’t be the next Corso, obviously. But he will embody Coach Corso’s spirit, which is to be unapologetically himself even when the people around don’t agree with it. That was Coach Corso, and that is Pat McAfee.

Corso’s call crowns the emotional handoff

Right after the high dive pick in Miami, Pat McAfee was scared about how the world would react to his antics. He thought everyone would think he was the worst human ever, but was shocked to see the positive reception of his bit. But the best thing was, he was phoned and congratulated by the legend himself. “I got a call from an icon who was pumped I didn’t get electrocuted,” McAfee said. He then played the voicemail, and it was heartwarming. “Hey, Pat. Great job. It was terrific,” Lee Corso said before adding a line that made his fans’ day and Pat’s life. He said, “I wanted to let you know that I passed the torch on to a great guy.”

McAfee’s reply had every shade of gratitude and responsibility. McAfee responded to Coach Corso, saying, “Coach, I thank you so much for calling and saying that. You’ve done such amazing things for this sport, obviously for this show. You’ve taken it to levels that it’s never seen before, and I’m just gonna try to pay tribute, man, and do what the show deserves, if that’s alright by you.” That pencil dive was a theatric to us, but it was the best tribute Corso could’ve gotten from his pupil and an iconic salute to Corso’s Ticonderoga. With Corso enjoying the gesture, every bit of backlash just becomes irrelevant.