Pat McAfee’s College GameDay chapter might never have happened without Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit saw something in McAfee: his humor, his football knowledge, and the way he could light up a conversation. So, he didn’t just notice him; he went to bat for him, doing everything he could to help get McAfee through the door.
Herbstreit found himself in a difficult spot. With Chris Fowler gone and Lee Corso’s stroke making his eventual retirement increasingly likely, GameDay was facing a serious energy void. Herbstreit said he had to become the show’s “leader,” offering measured takes rather than being the rah-rah guy. That left him looking for someone who could bring the fire. He turned to Pat McAfee.
“I remember going to Indianapolis and sitting down with him and an ESPN executive with Pat,” Herbstreit said on Bussin’ With The Boys. “And just like, ‘Basically, like Lee Corso, who’s the man. We don’t know how much longer he has. And boy, you would be so good on this show.’ Like, I was basically begging him to come on the show.
“You have to have a guy that, like, is incredibly entertaining and natural, authentically funny. And those are very hard people to find. You can find people that talk football, but it’s hard to find people who can just give you some juice.”
The rest is history. McAfee, aided by his role on College GameDay, has become one of the most prominent faces in football media. His kicking contest segment on the show is extremely popular, in which college kids attempt to nail long kicks and win an awful lot of money as a prize. McAfee also gives away money to charity if they are successful, all from his own pocket.
And even McAfee would agree with Herbstreit. In fact, back in 2023, McAfee said that Kirk Herbstreit was the “driving force” behind his move to GameDay.
Pat McAfee is no Lee Corso, but he has a certain appeal for not adhering to the traditional norms of talk show anchoring. He will not wear a snazzy suit and does not hold back on curse words on his eponymous show. When the emotion gets really high, he’ll channel it by ripping his shirt. Those moves have also disturbed some fans, but McAfee’s popularity continues to soar.
In September 2025, The Pat McAfee Show got more than 1 billion social media views in one month for the first time. It also had its most-watched September ever on ESPN and YouTube, with an average of 447,000 live viewers per show. That was 18% higher than the previous year.
His linear audience among people aged 18-49 also increased compared with the previous year.
No wonder ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus even praised him last year, saying, “Pat’s impact is undeniable”
McAfee will bring all that madness to the Monday Night Countdown crew this season, a gig he secured recently. While fans should brace themselves for everything, it is proof of how big a crowd-puller the former punter is.
Pat McAfee has a big contract coming up!
A $60 million-plus annual price tag comes with expectations, and ESPN appears ready to make sure McAfee earns every bit of that spotlight. The network is reportedly preparing a global deal for him worth upwards of $60 million per year, making his move to Monday Night Countdown feel like another piece of a much larger plan.
After all, McAfee has already made his mark across ESPN. Now, the network seems intent on putting even more of him on display.
McAfee will join Scott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Jason McCourty as a regular analyst on ESPN’s pregame show.
So, it goes without saying that McAfee’s ESPN footprint is about to get even bigger. His expanded role could put him front and center for the network’s Super Bowl coverage, just as ESPN prepares for a historic first: broadcasting Super Bowl 61 from SoFi Stadium.