ESPN’s College GameDay returns this weekend but will do so without one key figure.Earlier this week, it was announced that the beloved Saturday morning college football pre-game show had removed lead producer Jim Gaiero and instantly replaced him with Matthew Garrett, the vice president of production at ESPN.McAfee has been a part of ESPN’s College GameDay since 2022GettyPer Awful Announcing, who first broke the news, the decision did not go down well with College GameDay co-host and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who enjoyed a close relationship with Gaiero.College GameDay lead producer removed amid friction with Pat McAfeeIt also came to light that a potential ‘friction’ with Pat McAfee, who joined College GameDay in 2022, had sparked the reshuffle.“Multiple sources tell AA that friction with Pat McAfee likely influenced the move. ESPN says Gaiero’s reassignment to Super Bowl duties and golf coverage better fit his career goals and family life,” Awful Announcing followed their initial report with.The issue allegedly stemmed from a social media post made by McAfee in October 2025, where he claimed that “old white people at ESPN hate him”, a comment one source believed was ‘absolutely’ directed at Gaiero.“But throughout the entirety, old whites and the old ESPN people over the last like three years have really hated me. That’s who all the producers are of GameDay too,” McAfee posted at the time.McAfee, who has become the new face of ESPN and is currently in discussions over a $60-65m contract extension, making him the highest-paid personality at the network over Stephen A. Smith, ultimately got the last laugh.Gaiero has been taken off College GameDay, but crucially, “is being shifted to take a significant role on ESPN’s production prep for the network’s Super Bowl in February, where he’ll contribute to pregame studio programming.”College football fans think McAfee wields too much influence at ESPNMcAfee is yet to comment on the situation, but his influence at ESPN is undeniable.Some fans, upon hearing the news about Gaiero, believe McAfee wields too much power at ESPN.“Pat McAfee’s influence at ESPN keeps getting harder to ignore,” Tom Byrne of SiriusXM posted on X.McAfee influence at ESPN is undeniable, but some think he wields too much powerGettyThe former Colts kicker brought The Pat McAfee Show over to ESPN in 2023, where it has grown and grownGetty“Now College GameDay is changing producers after 10 yrs amid reported friction involving McAfee“Love him or hate him, the power shift at ESPN is impossible to miss”.“It would not be a shocker if PA had input. This guy is living beyond his wildest dreams,” commented one fan.“McAfee is six degrees of separation about everything happening at ESPN,” another wrote.McAfee is face of ESPN ahead of network’s first-ever Super Bowl broadcastMcAfee became one of ESPN’s biggest stars in large part due to him bringing his eponymous The Pat McAfee Show to ESPN, ESPN+, and YouTube under a multiyear agreement in 2023.The former NFL punter-turned-broadcaster’s stock has continued to rise in the years since, while others have felt the industry wide pinch on resources.News of McAfee’s potential new ESPN contract came amid a series of mass layoffs at the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’, including analyst Ryan Clark, who found out during a live broadcast he was being let go by the network.Shortly after, legendary NFL defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who has just been promoted by CBS after Tony Romo’s suspension, appeared on McAfee’s show and poked fun at him over the narrative that his lucrative salary is coming at the expense of other talent on the roster.“Slow, slow news day over there on the ESPN airwaves, huh?” Watt said. “I mean, besides the fact that you’re getting $100 million… Did they keep anybody? Or is everybody fired to pay you? I’m trying to figure that out.”McAfee has long been expected to take a bigger role in ESPN’s NFL coverage ahead of the network’s first-ever Super Bowl broadcast in February.It was recently announced that he will join Scott Van Pelt, former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Jason McCourty as a new member of the Monday Night Countdown team for the 2026 season.