ESPN to feature six-hour block of Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show weekdays from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET

The Pat McAfee Show, the highly successful and innovative weekday sports talk and discussion program, launches on ESPN platforms on Thursday, Sept. 7 – the same day the 2023 NFL season kicks off, as part of ESPN’s robust weekday studio lineup. Led by Pat McAfee – former NFL player and one of the most successful voices in sports media, the show will be simulcast from noon – 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN on YouTube and ESPN+, with the final 2-3 p.m. hour airing on ESPN on YouTube and ESPN+.

The Pat McAfee Show joins ESPN’s well-established personality-packed weekday lineup featuring the leading pundits in the industry. Mike Greenberg kicks off each morning hosting Get Up at 8 a.m., followed by First Take featuring Stephen A. Smith from 10 a.m. to noon. After The Pat McAfee Show, SportsCenter returns for the 2 p.m. time slot with NBA Today at 3 p.m., then NFL Live from 4-5 p.m., Around the Horn airing at 5 p.m., and Pardon the Interruption at 5:30 p.m. The 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter wraps up the daily lineup, Monday through Friday.

“We can’t wait for Pat and his team to bring a fresh new energy to ESPN’s weekday lineup, led by some of the most prominent, creative and authentic voices in sports,” says Burke Magnus, president of content at ESPN. “The Pat McAfee Show will redefine what success looks like across multiple ESPN platforms and will bring a new, contemporary audience to our afternoon time block. It’s a perfect fit.”

Announced earlier this year, ESPN’s licensing of The Pat McAfee Show will lead to an expansion of McAfee’s current multiplatform role, while McAfee continues his college football analyst role on ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and hosting alternate presentations of ESPN college football telecasts.

In addition to McAfee himself, The Pat McAfee Show features former NFL linebacker and co-host A.J. Hawk, Evan Fox, Zito Perez, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs, Frank Maraldo, Phil Mains, Casey Tok, Matt Brahn, Michael Girdy, AQ Shipley, Bailey McComas, Mitt McMahon, Coach Chuck Pagano, Aaron Rodgers, Darius Butler and Adam Jones, among others.

The debut episode on Sept. 7 will air live from the show’s ThunderDome headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., while select fall Friday shows will be hosted from College GameDay sites, with locations to be announced each week. The crew’s opening weekend also includes Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, a college football alternate telecast live from the Texas/Alabama Week 2 showdown (7 p.m., ESPN). The weekend wraps up with Aaron Rodgers – a recurrent guest on The Pat McAfee Show, making his New York Jets debut during ESPN’s Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m., ESPN).

Additional details, including regular guests, will be announced in the coming weeks.

ESPN Weekday Lineup

About Pat McAfee
A college football All-American at West Virginia and All-Pro NFL punter with the Indianapolis Colts, McAfee has established himself as one of the most entertaining figures in sports media since retiring from football. In addition to hosting The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee has worked for a variety of media companies in various roles, spanning Wrestlemania to ESPN.

McAfee was selected by the Colts in the 2009 NFL Draft following his college career at West Virginia as a kicker and punter. A four-year starter (2005-08), McAfee finished with 384 points and accumulated more than 5,500 punting yards for the Mountaineers. He was named an All-American his senior year and finished his collegiate career as the all-time scoring leader at WVU. During his nine NFL seasons, McAfee was one of the league’s best punters. He was named an All-Pro (2014), a Pro Bowler (2014, 2016) and nominated for the NFL Hall of Fame (2022). A native of Plum, Pa., outside Pittsburgh, McAfee retired after the 2016 NFL season.

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