Pat McAfee Invokes Charlie Kirk Assassination After University of Utah Mocks Him

Pat McAfee Utah Mockery Got Me Thinking ... Am I the Next Charlie Kirk??? Published October 27, 2026 8:22 AM PDT Pat McAfee isn't laughing at the University of Utah's attempt to poke fun at him ... especially given the deadly attack of Charlie Kirk, on a different college campus, in the same state. The ESPN personality unloaded on the school during Monday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" ... revealing he was blindsided by a video posted to the university's official Instagram account just before Saturday's "College GameDay" broadcast. The clip featured students doing impressions of McAfee ... with one calling him "corny" and another labeling him "creepy." McAfee says he wouldn't have cared if the students posted the comments themselves ... but seeing the university share them right before he walked out in front of thousands of fans rubbed him the wrong way. And that's when he brought up Kirk's September 2025 assassination at Utah Valley University ... questioning whether the school should really be encouraging people to pile on him after such a tragedy. Holy Sh*t: Pat McAfee goes OFF on the University of Utah after the university’s official Instagram account posted a video of students mocking him. "I hate this place. I hate this place. I did not enjoy the University of Utah." McAfee hopes to NEVER return to the school. https://t.co/v9Y5WnA2cz @NFL_DovKleiman "Do we think we should be amplifying reasons for why people hate my guts as a university?" McAfee asked ... adding he'd never felt more uncomfortable walking in front of a crowd. The former NFL punter was so turned off by the experience, he joked he'd come down with COVID if "College GameDay" ever returned to Utah. He also wasn't thrilled when a student participating in his $1 million kicking contest questioned the prize amount ... prompting McAfee to declare, "I hate this place." Well, the university got the message ... issuing an apology and admitting its attempt at lighthearted fun "missed the mark." Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. School officials said they reached out to McAfee to express their regret ... stressing they never intended to make him feel unsafe or unwelcome and that he's always welcome back. Despite the drama, McAfee still gave Utah's football team and student section their flowers ... though it sounds like he's in no hurry to return.