Kirk Herbstreit Praised Pat McAfee For 'One Of His Best Shows' Ever In 2025

Longtime U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is hoping that President Donald J. Trump will join Kirk Herbstreit and others on ESPN's 'College GameDay' later this fall. The longtime Texas politician was outwardly praising to Herbstreit and the rest of the 'College GameDay' panel for their thoughts on the Save College Sports Act during the Week 1 show. 'Pat McAfee nailed it: College sports are in 'absolute chaos,' there are no rules anyone can reliably follow, and Congress is now 'our only option.' Coach Saban put the absurdity plainly: 'Would we ever think that an NFL player could come back and play in college? It's absolutely crazy.' College sports cannot survive as a courtroom free-for-all. It is time to pass the Protect College Sports Act, send it to President Trump's desk, and sign it on College GameDay this fall,' he shared. But could we actually see President Trump on College GameDay? Last year, Pat McAfee welcomed President Trump onto his daily show, in honor of Veterans Day. McAfee later appeared at The Patriot Games, sitting alongside President Trump. Herbstreit has made it pretty clear that he is in favor of McAfee's appearances with President Trump. The ESPN college football analyst praised McAfee live on 'College GameDay' last year. 'And God bless the troops,' McAfee said, to which Herbstreit quickly jumped in to say, 'And God bless you for that show you put on Tuesday. One of your best shows you've ever had.' Herbstreit had a pretty telling remark, calling President Trump's appearance on McAfee's show 'one of your best shows' ever. Meanwhile, two sitting U.S. Senators are predicting that President Trump will make an appearance 'The Protecting College Sports Act continues to show great momentum. Sens Cruz and Schmitt have worked tirelessly with the support of nearly every conference in the country, HBCUs and the Olympic sports committee. It's clear that this bill is the only way to save college sports and womens sports,' the statement reads. 'While we are disappointed that we could not get the unanimous consent agreement to finish this week, we locked in a guaranteed vote in September. With the strong support of President Trump, we look forward to him signing the bill on College GameDay in the fall.' ESPN has yet to clarify if President Trump would appear on 'College GameDay,' but it seems like Herbstreit and others have made it clear where they stand. Week 2 of the 2026 college football season will feature No. 1 Ohio State traveling to Texas, to face Arch Manning and the Longhorns. ESPN's 'College GameDay' has already announced that it will be heading to Austin, Texas for the pregame show. ESPN's 'College GameDay' will air from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. E.T. on Saturday, September 12. Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved This story was originally published September 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM.