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Pat McAfee’s ESPN future on College GameDay in doubt with new contract still not signed two months before season starts
McAfee has been a regular on GameDay for two seasons
PAT McAfee's future on ESPN's College GameDay appears to be in doubt as the 2024 season nears.
The former NFL punter, 37, joined the ESPN mainstay on a full-time basis in 2022.
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McAfee has since spent the past two collegiate seasons bringing his unique style to the much-loved pregame show, alongside Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard.
However, with the 2024 season just over two months away, McAfee remains unsigned to the show, as per The Athletic.
The exact reason for this remains unclear, although the report noted that McAfee previously indicated that he was planning to return for a third season.
This uncertainty was met with a variety of responses from fans on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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"Maybe I'm in the minority but I enjoyed having him on College GameDay," one fan tweeted.
"He should stick to professional wrestling. He fits in well with that demographic," suggested a second.
While another claimed Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff is better."
This comes eight months after he took to X to address a report claiming that almost 49 percent of the college football fans asked said they weren't fond of McAfee on GameDay.
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"To the 49%, I have some great news.. I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay," McAfee wrote.
"It's one of the biggest reasons why I have not resigned a contract with the legendary show.
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"I'm not right for some crowds and the 'distinguished' College Football folks are definitely one of those."
Regardless of his future with GameDay, McAfee's ties with ESPN will continue.
His popular sports talk show, The Pat McAfee Show, cut short a deal with FanDuel TV in 2023, with ESPN licensing its rights.
The show's deal with the network is reportedly worth $85 million over five years.
Pat McAfee's playing days
Pat McAfee enjoyed a hugely successful stint before switching to a career in the media.
The talk show star played punter in the NFL for eight seasons from 2009 to 2016.
He was a seventh round NFL Draft pick in 2009 out of West Virginia and spent his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts.
The ex-punter was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016, and he was a first team All-Pro in 2014, as well.
McAfee owns the unique NFL record of the highest career net average punting yards with 41.4 yards while his longest ever punt was 74.
It is broadcast live from the "Thunderdome" in Indiana every weekday from noon until 2pm ET on ESPN, ESPN+, and YouTube.
The show then continues for a further hour solely on ESPN+ and YouTube.
Regulars on the show include the likes of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt, NHL legend PK Subban, and from next season, six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
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Elsewhere, McAfee also works as a commentator for WWE SmackDown together with Michael Cole.
This has also led the former All-Pro to make numerous in-ring appearances, including at WrestleMania 39.
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