Pat McAfee got ‘em good.
It feels difficult to pin down Pat McAfee’s ascension from ex NFL punter to media superstar over the last few years. McAfee has become a phenomenon for his loose interview style and bombastic personality, and he’s making way more money talking about sports than he ever did playing them. McAfee signed a $120 million deal with FanDuel a couple years back, and tacked on $85 million recently in a new contract with ESPN.
Some sports fans mostly know McAfee from his Aaron Rodgers interviews, which are annoying insomuch as they give the QB a big platform to spew his quack theories. There’s a reason McAfee is so popular and so wealthy, though, and it crystalized more than ever on College GameDay as the crew was making its predictions for conference championship games.
As he was making his pick for Alabama vs. Georgia in the SEC championship game, McAfee led Georgia fans in a rendition of their unofficial fight song. Just when it seemed like he was picking the Bulldogs, he pulled the chair out and went with Alabama. Watch it here:
WHAT’S THAT COMING DAHN THE TRACK..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 2, 2023
️ ️GIVE ME ALABAMA
️ ️ROLL TIDE ROLL #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/wRS13yQVQW
Just incredible. McAfee had the crowd in the palm of his hand until the last minute when he pulled the switcheroo.
McAfee has worked as a WWE wrestler in his spare time, so he knows something about controlling a crowd. It’s hard to outdo some of the classic Lee Corso picks on College GameDay, but McAfee really did one of the best ones ever.
