Pat McAfee blasts Utah following his College GameDay visit to Salt Lake City

Pat McAfee blasts Utah following his College GameDay visit to Salt Lake City originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

ESPN College GameDay host Pat McAfee visited the University of Utah on Saturday, and it was memorable, but for the wrong reason.

McAfee voiced his frustrations on his show Monday about a University social media post.

"“I’ve enjoyed this college football season, did not enjoy the University of Utah. Did not enjoy it," McAfee said.

🚨 Pat McAfee GOES OFF on the University of Utah 😳 He says he’s never felt so uncomfortable, even bringing up what happened at UVU last year. “I did not enjoy the University of Utah.” HOLY SMOKES 💀 https://t.co/YCXQPM3vEH

— Bill (@Billgetzfroggy) October 26, 2026

“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 was confused about why the university felt the way it did. "Do we think we should, be amplifying reasons why people hate my guts as a university? I don't know."

The former NFL specialist who mentioned the kicker for the “Kicking Is Easy” segment of the show and complained about the prize money.

"And then, obviously, the kicker goes, 'only $1 million, only $1 million.' Alright, I hate this place."

However, McAfee gave the Utes credit for the dominant football program they've built.

"They got a good football team though, they got a good football team, but I have never been more uncomfortable."

McAfee joked, saying he'll have COVID when the show returns to Salt Lake City.

The University of Utah apologized to McAfee for the unwelcoming experience.

The University of Utah has apologized to Pat McAfee over a video where students did impressions of him before Utah hosted College GameDay. McAfee said the video made him “uncomfortable” before taking the stage, then alluded to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. https://t.co/jwdUvtogtc

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 27, 2026

"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."

According to the statement, university officials reached out to McAfee to express appreciation and gratitude and apologized for making him feel unsafe and unwelcome.

The College GameDay crew will head to Bloomington on Saturday, October 31 for a Big Ten showdown between the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

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