ESPN announces launch date for The Pat McAfee Show

ESPN announced the much-anticipated launch date of the new fall weekday lineup that will include The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.

The new lineup with The Pat McAfee Show at 12 p.m. ET begins on Sept. 7, just days before Week 2 college football games kickoff.

The ESPN lineup begins as before with Get Up at 8 a.m. ET, followed by First Take at 10 a.m. ET. Pat McAfee’s two-hour-long show will precede an hour of SportsCenter.

Then NBA Today runs at 3 p.m., NFL Live at 4 p.m., Around the Horn at 5 p.m., Pardon the Interruption at 5:30 p.m., and wrapping things up at 6 p.m. is another SportsCenter.

McAfee to host alternate broadcast for Alabama-Texas in Week 2

In Week 1, GameDay is heading to Charlotte on September 2. Although the Week 2 location is still undisclosed, McAfee said this week that he will have a live show in Tuscaloosa on Friday, September 8, and will be hosting an ESPN2 alternate broadcast for Texas vs Alabama.

It’s unclear whether ESPN’s flagship college football program will be on campus that weekend for the Alabama-Texas game as well, but it’s probably a decent bet. If so, it’ll be interesting to see how the Pat McAfee Show and College GameDay balance set locations and air times.

Adding to the possible synergies — and/or challenges — is the fact that McAfee is an analyst for College GameDay. He might have to do some quick travel in the event the two shows aren’t broadcasting from the same location.

In either case, ESPN has been happy to add McAfee to its talented roster.

“Pat is a proven talent. He and his team have built The Pat McAfee Show into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement when the deal was announced. “It’s a destination for athlete interviews and breaking news, and the centerpiece of a growing community of sports fans. We’re honored to bring Pat and the show to ESPN through a multifaceted, multiplatform approach.”

The former West Virginia and Indianapolis Colts punter has developed the “Pat McAfee Show” into one of the most followed daily sports shows in the country by leveraging social media and YouTube. It now boasts over 2 million subscribers.

It was enough to land a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel. Now, McAfee is taking his talents to the Worldwide Leader in Sports on a five-year deal worth around $85 million.