Kirk Herbstreit Makes a Special Request to Pat McAfee Ahead of College GameDay Return

ESPN broadcasters Pat McAfee (left) and Kirk Herbstreit before the game. | USA TODAY Sports

The smell of football is in the air as the 2026 college football season is right around the corner. The season will kickoff with a slate of Week 0 games on Aug. 29.

The return of college football also means the return of ESPN's flagship college football show, "College GameDay." The crew, led by host Rece Davis and analysts Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, will break down the biggest storylines and games for that week of the season.

Pat McAfee Releases Debut Album

Ahead of the first college football weekend, McAfee debuted his first album. The album, titled "The Diary Of A Polarizing Figure," is available on YouTube and Spotify. It is in a country rap style, and most of the tracks on the album are marked as explicit.

Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee celebrate prior to the game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Herbstreit appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday, where he discussed the album's release. Herbstreit even put in a request to his College GameDay coworker.

"Hopefully people are going to not just enjoy the music but really listen to the words," Herbstreit said. "... You really got some strong lyrics and sent some really good messages. I thought that we can all relate to and enjoy... Can you maybe do some on GameDay?"

"Definitely (will) do some on GameDay," McAfee responded.

Kirk Herbstreit Praises McAfee's New Album

Herbstreit's comments make it clear that McAfee's music isn't simply a side project being ignored by his College GameDay coworkers. The ESPN analyst took the time to praise the lyrics and the messages behind the album, showing that he actually listened to what McAfee put together.

That makes his request for McAfee to perform on GameDay even more interesting. McAfee has become one of the most recognizable personalities on the show, bringing his unique energy and perspective to the weekly broadcast. Adding original music to that mix would be another way for him to put his personality on the program.

McAfee has already confirmed that he's willing to do it. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out what songs he'll perform.

McAfee Promises to Perform on "GameDay"

The timing couldn't be better for McAfee. With the college football season just days away, College GameDay is preparing to return to its weekly routine of traveling to the sport's biggest games. McAfee now has an opportunity to make his music part of that experience.

Whether it's a full song, an intro, a short segment or something that becomes an annual tradition remains to be seen. But the idea fits McAfee's role on the show perfectly. He has never been afraid to bring something different to the college football world.

Now, Herbstreit has essentially challenged him to bring that same creativity to GameDay. Based on McAfee's response, fans shouldn't be surprised if they hear some new music when College GameDay returns.