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Pat McAfee To Join College GameDay as Full-Time Analyst

Pat McAfee is no longer a free man from 9 a.m. – noon ET. The former NFL punter turned podcast host and WWE commentator announced Wednesday that he is joining ESPN‘s “College GameDay” as a full-time analyst.

McAfee inked a multi-year agreement with the network and will make his first appearance Saturday in Austin ahead of the Alabama-Texas showdown. In addition, he will contribute to coverage of the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff semifinals and national championship.

“College GameDay is one of those shows that is universally beloved. It’s an institution,” McAfee said in a release. “Getting the opportunity to join full time is an absolute honor. I understand the weight that the show holds in the sports universe and I will try my best to somehow add to it.”

McAfee, 35, previously made guest appearances on “College GameDay” in 2019 and 2020. It’s one of the few roles he’s taken up since retiring from the NFL after the 2016 season. McAfee spent eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, earning two Pro Bowl selections. He was named an All-Pro in 2014.

He has since reached notoriety for his daily talk show, “The Pat McAfee Show,” which airs on YouTube. McAfee recently cut ties with Sirius XM, which simulcasted his show for two years. This past December, McAfee announced a deal with FanDuel, which will pay him more than $120 million over four years.

Pat McAfee Scaling Back Commitments After Deal With ESPN

As a result of his newfound commitment to “College GameDay,” McAfee will reduce his role with WWE for the time being. McAfee, who became a color commentator for “Friday Night Smackdown” in April 2021, said his WWE duties will be on hold despite signing a multi-year extension in July.

“SmackDAHN will be on hold for a little bit while I do College GameDay.. I’m still VERY much in the WWE family & will still be doing things with WWE,” McAfee tweeted.

Paul Levesque (Triple H), WWE executive vice president for Talent Relations, head of creative and chief content officer, said that McAfee will remain a member of the WWE Universe.

“[Pat McAfee] approached us about his amazing opportunity with College GameDay,” he tweeted. “We’d never stand in Pat’s way, as he continues to architect his exceptional career. Pat will remain a member of the @WWE Universe and we look forward to his return.”