Who Is Pat McAfee? The Punter Who Became ESPN's Loudest Voice, His BYU History, and How College GameDay Got Here

If you came to Provo.com this week because of the Pat McAfee vs. University of Utah story and wondered who this guy actually is: he was a record-setting kicker at West Virginia and a Pro Bowl punter for the Colts. He quit the NFL at 29 because he'd rather be funny for a living, and now he's one of the biggest names at ESPN. Here's how he got there.

West Virginia: the kicker who did everything

McAfee grew up in Plum, outside Pittsburgh, and played for West Virginia from 2005 to 2008, handling punts, kickoffs, extra points and field goals. He left Morgantown holding school records for games played (51), points scored (384) and extra points made (210), third in career punting average (43.7) and field goals (58), according to WVU's Sports Hall of Fame. He was a CBSSports.com first-team All-American, a Walter Camp second-teamer, an AP third-teamer and a Ray Guy Award finalist.

He won a lot, too. West Virginia won four bowl games in his time: the 2006 Sugar Bowl, the 2007 Gator Bowl, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl and the 2008 Car Care Bowl. WVU inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.

Indianapolis: a punter people knew by name

The Indianapolis Colts drafted McAfee in the seventh round in 2009, and he played in Super Bowl XLIV as a rookie. Over eight seasons he became something you almost never see, a punter with actual fans. He made two Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro in 2014.

Then, on Feb. 2, 2017, at 29 and with two years left on his contract, he retired by tweet. "I didn't feel fulfillment out of punting," he said, explaining that he got more out of making people laugh, CBS Sports reported. He stayed in Indianapolis and went to work for Barstool Sports.

The Pat McAfee Show: from Barstool to ESPN

McAfee left Barstool about two years later to build his own company, Pat McAfee Inc., in Indianapolis. The Pat McAfee Show, loud and unfiltered, built a large following online. FanDuel signed it to a four-year deal reported at $120 million.

In 2023 he moved the show to ESPN. The New York Post reported the deal at about $85 million over five years, with McAfee keeping full creative control, Sports Illustrated relayed. It debuted on ESPN on Sept. 7, 2023, taking over the noon Eastern slot that had belonged to SportsCenter. It airs weekdays on ESPN, ESPN+ and YouTube, and the show's YouTube channel is where his Monday comments about Utah were posted.

WWE: yes, he wrestles

McAfee also calls matches for WWE, and he doesn't always stay behind the desk. He wrestled twice for WWE's NXT brand in 2020. At WrestleMania 38 he beat Austin Theory, then lost an impromptu match to Vince McMahon, and the night ended with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin delivering stunners to all three, F4WOnline reported. McAfee called it "a dream come true."

College GameDay: the fifth chair

McAfee joined ESPN's College GameDay in 2022. In 2026 he is in his fifth season next to host Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Nick Saban. His signature segment is the "Kicking is Easy" contest, in which a fan tries a 33-yard field goal for $1 million. ESPN says the contest has given away more than $11.5 million in prizes and charitable donations over its four seasons.

That segment is how BYU freshman Carter Smith, in a Spider-Man suit, won $3 million in Provo on Oct. 17, 2026, after Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney each added $1 million to McAfee's prize.

McAfee and BYU: a longer history than you think

McAfee didn't discover BYU in October 2026. The Deseret News has been keeping track for years:

• 2022: Talking about former BYU receiver Austin Collie, his Colts teammate, McAfee said Collie "was the first LDS human I met, but I had a thousand questions for him," and said he had "massive respect" for people who commit to their path.
• 2023: Hosting former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy on an episode he called "LDS Thursdays," he explained the term as "Latter-day Saints, the artist formerly known as Mormon." That same year, previewing West Virginia's home game against BYU, a joke on his show about Church members drew criticism, and McAfee apologized.
• 2023: After GameDay visited Utah for the Utes' game with Oregon, he told ESPN's Adam Schefter he "loved it" and "did not expect it."
• 2025: When BYU commit Ryder Lyons came on the show, McAfee called a mission "a huge honor" and "a calling from God basically to go serve."
• Oct. 15, 2026: Two days before Provo, he said, "There's a lot of different Mormons that I've encountered who I have a lot of respect for," and praised "a lot of great football contributions coming from BYU."
• Oct. 17, 2026: In Provo, he read from the Book of Mormon on air and told Austin Collie, on set for the kick, "You introduced me to the Mormon religion one spring camp. I appreciate you doing that."

Then came Salt Lake City a week later, and "I hate this place." The full story of that week is in our opinion column.

College GameDay, 1987 to Provo

College GameDay debuted on ESPN in 1987 as a studio show. It first went on the road on Nov. 13, 1993, to South Bend for No. 1 Florida State at No. 2 Notre Dame, with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Craig James. ESPN says 2026 is the show's 40th season and its 33rd broadcasting from game sites; its 500th road show was at LSU on Sept. 5, 2026.

The show's most famous tradition belonged to Lee Corso, who first put on a mascot head, Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye, in Columbus on Oct. 5, 1996. He made 430 headgear picks, going 286-144, before his final show on Aug. 30, 2025, which ESPN says was the most-watched episode in the show's history. Kirk Herbstreit is in his 30th year on the show.

GameDay in Provo

GameDay has come to Provo twice:

• Oct. 24, 2009: TCU at BYU. It was the show's 200th road broadcast. No. 10 TCU beat No. 16 BYU 38-7, KSL reported.
• Oct. 17, 2026: Notre Dame at BYU. The return after 17 years, and the morning McAfee called "a heavenly place." BYU won 28-24. Our GameDay in Provo and game recap have the details.

One odd coincidence: GameDay's first Provo show was on Oct. 24, 2009. Exactly 17 years later, on Oct. 24, 2026, McAfee was in Salt Lake City telling Utah fans, "I'll never see you again, hopefully."

Related

• Opinion: Pat McAfee found heaven in Provo and "hated" Salt Lake
• The Holy War, explained
• BYU football 2026 season guide