Pat McAfee didn’t leave Salt Lake City with the warm fuzzies.
The ESPN College GameDay host, who was on campus at the University of Utah on Saturday, unloaded Monday on his show after taking issue with a social media post from the university. McAfee said the visit was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
"“I’ve enjoyed this college football season, did not enjoy the University of Utah. Did not enjoy it," McAfee said.
His biggest gripe centered on an Instagram post from the university that asked students to imitate him. McAfee said one kid called him "corny" and another called him "creepy," and he questioned why the school would highlight that kind of reaction right before his appearance.
“You know why I didn't like it? Right before I went out there, I saw the University of Utah’s Instagram page, the university’s, they asked a kid, ‘Hey, can you do an impression of Pat McAfee?
One kid goes, ‘Ah, he’s corny,’ and another kid calls me ‘creepy.' OK, if these kids had done this on their own blogs, all good.
Everybody’s taking shots at me for everything. I get it. ...
The university puts that out as I’m about to go do an infomercial for the place?”
McAfee said he couldn’t understand the school’s approach.
“Do we think we should, be amplifying reasons why people hate my guts as a university? I don't know."
He also took aim at the “Kicking Is Easy” segment and the prize money tied to it, saying the kicker’s response rubbed him the wrong way.
"And then, obviously, the kicker goes, 'only $1 million, only $1 million.' Alright, I hate this place."
Still, McAfee did tip his cap to what Utah has built on the field.
"They got a good football team though, they got a good football team, but I have never been more uncomfortable."
He joked that he’ll “have COVID” the next time College GameDay returns to Salt Lake City.
Utah later apologized and said the post was meant to be lighthearted but missed the mark.
"Our goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts, and we take full accountability for that decision."
The school said officials contacted McAfee to thank him for visiting and apologized for making him feel unsafe and unwelcome.
College GameDay’s next stop is Bloomington on Saturday, October 31, where the crew will be on hand for a Big Ten matchup between No. 4 Indiana and Minnesota.
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