Pat McAfee Hasn't Signed New ESPN 'College GameDay' Contract Amid Fan Criticism

There appears to be a chance that Pat McAfee's run on ESPN's College GameDay could come to an end after the 2023 season.

McAfee wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he has not signed a new contract to continue appearing on College GameDay beyond this year largely due to the criticism he's received from fans so far.

"I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay. It's one of the biggest reasons why I have not resigned a contract with the legendary show," he wrote. "I'm not right for some crowds and the 'distinguished' College Football folks are definitely one of those."

Per Richard Deitsch and Chris Vannini of The Athletic, viewership on College GameDay is down four percent in 2023. The show is averaging 1.956 million viewers so far this year compared to 2.043 million viewers in 2022.

McAfee began making regular appearances on College GameDay in 2019 before becoming a full-time analyst for the show in September of last year. In his tweet, he referenced a recent survey of over 3,100 readers of The Athletic that resulted in 30.1 percent saying they like McAfee on the show, 48.9 percent saying they don't and 21 percent having no opinion.

While McAfee is one of the most popular sports media personalities, his brash nature has not been well-received in the college football world.

Vannini pointed out an instance in which he responded to criticism of ESPN from Washington State coach Jake Dickert and former quarterback Ryan Leaf by "saying College GameDay supported WSU and its flag when the program was down, people should 'shut up' and that he was 'about sick of you.'"

Deitsch noted that he expects McAfee to return to College GameDay next year. While the 36-year-old doesn't sound enthused to continue his run with the program, the company will keep the door open for him to remain an analyst.

"Pat has been a fantastic addition to the College GameDay family and our viewership gains from the past year and a half are evidence of that fact," an ESPN spokesperson told Deitsch and Vannini. "He's got a home on the show for as long as he would like."