Pat McAfee considered independent College GameDay show: report

One of the faces of ESPN's College GameDay mulled the possibility of leaving the program and starting his own version of the show.

Pat McAfee thought about breaking away from College GameDay and staring his own independent version of the show, a new report claims. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the faces of ESPN’s College GameDay show considered going his own way. 

Pat McAfee mulled the idea of leaving the network’s flagship college football program and creating his own version of the show, according to a report from The Athletic.

McAfee spoke with associates about the possibility of “starting his own, independent version of College GameDay,” Athletic reporter Andrew Marchand said.

But despite any such talk or plans, there does appear to be any actual movement on the idea of McAfee orchestrating an exit from GameDay and starting his own imitation show.

“At least not now,” The Athletic report noted.

One moment of tension relating to College GameDay that appeared to bother McAfee ─ who “cares about his image,” the report adds ─ was when the program aired a segment of him swinging and missing against an Oklahoma softball pitcher.

The Athletic reports that McAfee demanded to know the identity of the GameDay personnel who put the piece over the air, but the network denied his request.

Last offseason, it was revealed that McAfee did not have a contract to appear on College GameDay that fall and it was an open question for a time whether or not he would return to the program.

Those rumors were put to bed about a month later, when McAfee revealed that he signed a new deal with ESPN to appear on the program that season.

McAfee originally signed a five-year licensing deal with ESPN worth a reported $85 million, bringing over his existing independent daily show from YouTube to the network in addition to joining College GameDay as a regular feature.

By bringing on McAfee, ESPN looked to provide a new injection of energy into its most important college football show as veteran analyst Lee Corso stepped back into a more minor role in the years since suffering the stroke that partially impaired his speech.

And it has been expected that he would further embrace a leading role on the program after Corso announced he will leave the show after Week 1 of this coming football season.

But college football fans have been of very different opinions over McAfee’s often bombastic and over-the-top presence on the show.

A poll taken by The Athletic two football seasons ago showed 48.9 percent of over 3,000 respondents disapproved of him, while 30.1 percent said they liked him, and 21 percent had no opinion.

ESPN has clearly sided with the 30 percent by having McAfee on its principal college football show, even if the man himself thought about going it on his own.

(Athletic)

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