Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter turned ESPN GameDay analyst, voiced strong displeasure with the University of Utah on Monday. During his weekly radio show, McAfee said he “did not enjoy” the university after it shared a student‑made video on its Instagram account that labeled him “corny” and “creepy.”
Why the university’s post bothered McAfee
McAfee explained that the video was not a personal blog post but an official university post, which he felt amplified negative sentiment just before he was scheduled to appear on ESPN’s GameDay broadcast from the campus. “If these kids would have done this on their own blogs, all good,” he said, “The university puts that out, like as I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place. And then I’m walking in front of thousands of these people. This is how the university feels about it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling.”
Context of recent campus tragedy
McAfee linked the incident to a recent shooting at Utah Valley University, where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was wounded in 2025. He questioned whether the university should be “amplifying reasons for why people hate my guts as a university” so soon after such a tragic event. He added, “The university gaslighting, some of it right before I go out there to talk about your school, especially with what happened 40 miles south of Salt Lake City a little over a year ago?”
Other grievances
The ESPN analyst also expressed frustration with a segment of his own show, the “Kicking Is Easy” contest, where a student is selected to kick a field for a cash prize. He noted that the prize had been raised from $1 million to $3 million for a recent Notre Dame‑BYU game, and a competitor’s reaction was, “Only $1 million? It’s my money!” McAfee said the exchange left him feeling even more antagonistic toward the university.
Positive notes about the Utes
Despite his criticism, McAfee acknowledged that the No. 6 Utah Utes field a strong football team and have an “incredible” student section known as MUSS. He concluded, “I’ve never been more uncomfortable,” and hinted he may never return to the campus, joking that he might even catch COVID if ESPN GameDay ever comes back.
What this means for fans
McAfee’s comments highlight the tension that can arise when a high‑profile media personality is featured on a college campus. While the University of Utah’s student video was likely intended as light‑hearted banter, the official nature of the post turned it into a public relations issue for the school. Fans of the Utes and viewers of GameDay will be watching to see how the university addresses the criticism and whether future appearances will be handled differently.
Original reporting: FOX 13 KSTU (Salt Lake County) — read the source article.
