McAfee Rips University of Utah Post, Invokes Charlie Kirk Killing Before College GameDay Visit

ESPN star Pat McAfee ripped the University of Utah over a social media post he says made him feel very, very uncomfortable before Saturday's College GameDay broadcast in Salt Lake City.

McAfee said he saw a video on the university's Instagram account shortly before going on air. The post asked students to do impressions of him, he said, and included comments calling him corny and creepy.

The video has since been removed from the university's social media accounts.

The former NFL punter said he would not have minded if students had shared the remarks themselves, but he took issue with the university posting them before he walked in front of thousands of fans.

McAfee said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show that the university put the post out as he was about to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then he was walking in front of thousands of people. He said that was how the university felt about it and that it was an uncomfortable feeling.

McAfee said the post set him off a little bit and made him feel a little weird. He then appeared to reference the September 2025 shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his American Comeback Tour when he was shot in the neck and killed on September 10, 2025. McAfee asked whether anything really scary had happened at a college gathering in the state of Utah recently, and whether the university should be amplifying reasons why people hate his guts.

Later in the segment, McAfee again pointed to what happened 40 miles south of Salt Lake City a little over a year ago, saying the university's post added to the hostility he faced just before he went on air to promote the school. He said he was very, very uncomfortable and that it did not make for the greatest morning.

The University of Utah apologized in a statement posted to its official Instagram account, saying its goal was to create lighthearted engagement about McAfee's return to campus, but it missed the mark.

University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and the school said it took full accountability for that decision. The university said officials had reached out to McAfee to express their appreciation and regret.

The school said it sincerely apologized for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on campus, and that nothing could be further from the truth. It added that McAfee and the entire College GameDay crew are always welcome, that ESPN's pregame show has visited its campus seven times, and that it has enjoyed a positive relationship with the crew.

McAfee said he knew some people believed the students' comments were not particularly harsh, but he kept coming back to who posted the video. He said it was the university putting it out, not a blog, but the actual place they were at.

The Instagram post was not the only part of McAfee's visit that frustrated him. He also took issue with a student participating in his weekly Kicking Is Easy contest, which gives a contestant a chance to kick a field goal for $1 million.

McAfee said the student questioned why the prize was only $1 million after the potential prize reached $3 million for the previous week's Notre Dame-BYU game. He responded that it was his money, joked that he hated the place and hoped he never had to return, and joked he might have COVID if College GameDay goes back.

Despite his frustrations, McAfee praised Utah's football team and called its student section incredible. He thanked the fans who attended Saturday's broadcast and called it a phenomenal GameDay. Utah went on to defeat Houston 21-13 on Saturday.