Pat McAfee indicates he will return to College GameDay in 2024

ESPN College GameDay analyst Pat McAfee has been noncommittal about his status with the show moving forward.

McAfee tweeted in October that he’s aware that his personality is not for everybody and added that he might not be back for future college football seasons.

However, during The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, he indicated that he is planning to return for 2024. McAfee’s future plans were revealed after fellow ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit shared that he would leave the show if McAfee didn’t come back.

“I’m just gonna say this right now. If you dare even think of leaving College GameDay, I’m leaving with you,” Herbstreit said. “I am. I am. I’m dead serious.”

Here was McAfee’s respone:

“I pride myself on being a good locker room guy, good vibes guy, good energy guy, which is why it is becoming something where it’s like, every single Saturday, do I want to read — because I’m on the internet a lot. We’re an internet show. So I’m like on there. People are like, ‘Don’t read your mentions.’ It’s like, ‘I have to.’ It’s part of our job,” McAfee said. “It’s like, these college fans are awesome, they’re phenomenal, they’re incredibly passionate. But man, that negativity — normally when I get dropped into a new show like the WWE, that negativity is like three months. They hate my life, they hate my — they hate everything about me. And then they’re like, ‘You know what? This guy, not that bad.’

“How about this? I’m back. I don’t love it. I don’t love that my life is just going to continue to have people telling me to run into oncoming traffic, swallow a barrel.”

While Pat McAfee may not be for everyone, ESPN College GameDay ratings have been up this year with him on the show as he has brought energy and excitement that some would say had been lacking.

McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit returning seems to be the best thing for college football. Herbstreit is one of the most important voices in the sport, and ESPN College GameDay wouldn’t be the same without him.

“I’m not kissing your ass. I’m just telling you that — and I told you this a lot — that you’ve changed my experience,” Herbstreit said. “I work really hard with these three projects. I’m on on GameDay and the Thursday night game with Al (Michaels) and Saturday with Chris (Fowler). And you you’ve really changed the approach, not just on the set, but like the week. I’m having a blast.

ESPN College GameDay was at the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Alabama last weekend. It will be at the Army–Navy game on Saturday as the college football regular season wraps up.