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ESPN College GameDay is the go-to pregame show for college football fans each and every Saturday during the season. Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso always entertain the fans, but this year it was a new addition that added excitement.
Pat McAfee joined the morning show and added some much-needed flair that was lacking, and has increased viewership among the younger fans.
During a recent episode of his podcast, the Stuck in My Thoughts Podcast, Davis had high praise for McAfee’s impact on College GameDay and the way McAfee has been able to forge his own path throughout his career.
“He’s a great teammate, and he doesn’t have to be,” Davis said, as transcribed by AwfulAnnouncing.com, “because he is the hottest thing in sports media. He’s built an empire — independent of any traditional media giant. He can call his own shot, yet he has respect for our show and respect for us, that he has come in, and he has helped us elevate the show. And he’s been a good teammate along the way.”
Davis also praised McAfee for his ability to connect to fans of all ages.
“He’s even winning over some of the older audience,” said Davis. “My wife’s aunt is 88 years old. And when Pat first came on the show, even though she’s a huge sports fan and a huge football fan, she didn’t remember the punter from the Colts or West Virginia punter and kicker.
“She didn’t know who he was. So, initially, she was, just as you might expect — not a big fan — but as time went on, and she started watching him, I now say, ‘It hurts my feelings that I think you like Pat more than you like me.’ She loves all the stuff he does. The connections he makes. She obviously loves the field goal contest. All of those things she loves.”
It will be interesting to see how long McAfee sticks around on College GameDay, but it is clear that his colleagues like him being around and there is no denying the impact he has had on the show.
