Did analyst Pat McAfee say he would join ESPN’s College GameDay by Zoom due to security concerns? No, that’s not true: The claim originated from a parody account. Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets confirming the claim and no evidence that McAfee made the statement.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @No3sports account on X on Oct. 27, 2026. It read:
BREAKING: Pat McAfee reportedly set to join College GameDay via Zoom following security concerns surrounding his recent appearances. Via @PeteNokos
‘We want to enjoy the show but also stay safe. It’s ashamed this S**t is even a thing.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
Image source: post by @No3sports on X.
The @No3sports account (archived here) includes a disclaimer. The account profile reads:
Leading the country in the spreadage of (Parody) College sports.
This is what the profile looked like on X at the time of writing:
Image source: @No3sports page on X.
ESPN response
ESPN responded to the claim in an Oct. 29, 2026, email to Lead Stories. The email included a statement from an ESPN spokesperson, which read:
The safety and security of our on-air team, crew and fans is paramount at College GameDay. We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.
The network also noted that the claim came from a parody account.
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News searches
Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo News (archived here) and found no matching reports about the claim from established news outlets using the search terms: “Pat McAfee,” “GameDay,” “Zoom” and “security.”
The concerns over McAfee’s safety followed his Oct. 24, 2026, appearance (archived here) on College GameDay at the University of Utah. On his own show, McAfee criticized a university social media video featuring students making fun of him, saying it made him uncomfortable.
A video of his comments (archived here) is embedded below:
The university later apologized. McAfee later discussed security concerns surrounding college football broadcasts, including a suggestion from a security group, made after the 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk, that he wear a bulletproof vest.
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McAfee wrote about it in a post (archived here) on his @PatMcAfeeShow account on X on Oct. 28, 2026.
The post is embedded below:
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