Pat McAfee didn’t leave Salt Lake City with warm memories after ESPN’s College GameDay stop at the University of Utah, and by Monday he was making that clear on his show.
McAfee said the trip left him feeling “did not enjoy the University of Utah. Did not enjoy it,” after a university social media post caught his attention before the show went on the air.
The post McAfee pointed to came from the University of Utah’s Instagram account and featured students responding to a request to do an impression of him. One student called him “corny,” while another described him as “creepy.” McAfee said he understood taking shots from random people, but not from the school itself.
“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?”
He also questioned the decision behind the post.
“Do we think we should, be amplifying reasons why people hate my guts as a university? I don't know.”
McAfee said the kicker segment on the show only added to the frustration, specifically the line about prize money.
“And then, obviously, the kicker goes, 'only $1 million, only $1 million.' Alright, I hate this place.”
Even with the criticism, he still acknowledged what Utah has on the field.
“They got a good football team though, they got a good football team, but I have never been more uncomfortable.”
McAfee also joked that if College GameDay comes back to Salt Lake City, he’ll have COVID.
The University of Utah later apologized for how the visit was handled. In its statement, the school said, “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 university also said officials contacted McAfee to thank him for the visit and apologized for making him feel unsafe and unwelcome.
College GameDay’s next stop is Bloomington on Saturday, October 31, for a Big Ten matchup between No. 4 Indiana and Minnesota.