Since joining the WWE as an announcer alongside Michael Cole on WWE Smackdown, Pat McAfee has established himself as one of the more energetic announcers around.
He can be grating at times and reportedly caused some friction with Vince McMahon for various phrases and comparisons, but he’s remained one of Vince’s favorites (he was at Vince’s birthday dinner) take the and has become a fan favorite as well.
Pat McAfee Taking a Break from WWE for ESPN’s College GameDay Beginning this Saturday (9/10)
Pat’s no stranger to the microphone as he also has a successful podcast where he interviews athletes from everywhere and discusses various topics.
So, it’s only natural the former NFL punter turned color commentator would land another announcing job as he announced on his podcast and then via Twitter that he’s joining ESPN’s College GameDay starting this weekend (September 10).
SmackDAHN will be on hold for a little bit while I do College GameDay.. I'm still VERY much in the WWE family & will still be doing things with WWE#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bhSpOYg3wW
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 7, 2022
New opportunity
He also pointed out he’s part of the WWE family and that he thought about doing both jobs at the same time, but it’d be tough for him to keep up with the travel schedule.
The WWE suggested that he take some time off and return when the time is right.
Triple H shared his thoughts on Twitter as well, and he echoed Pat’s comments.
.@PatMcAfeeShow approached us about his amazing opportunity with College GameDay. We’d never stand in Pat’s way, as he continues to architect his exceptional career.
Pat will remain a member of the @WWE Universe and we look forward to his return. #UpToSomethingSZN
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 7, 2022
“@PatMcAfeeShow approached us about his amazing opportunity with College GameDay. We’d never stand in Pat’s way, as he continues to architect his exceptional career. Pat will remain a member of the @WWE Universe and we look forward to his return. #UpToSomethingSZN”
Returning home
As we mentioned above, Pat’s a former NFL punter and kickoff specialist for the Indianapolis Colts where he played from 2009 to 2016, and before that he went to college at West Virginia.
It’s been a pretty consistent move for former athletes to become commentators for decades, and Pat joining college football’s pregame show will give him a pretty cool feather in his cap and let him touch his roots.
We’re looking forward to his insight for the upcoming games and his thoughts on the current crop of players in the college ranks.
It’ll be a far cry from him standing on top of the announce desk and dancing or air guitaring Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance music, but we won’t be surprised if he pulls out something along those lines or even gets his own segment during the college season.
What do you think about him covering college football? Will he consider doing it full time or balance between football and the WWE? Let us know in the comments below.
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