Pat McAfee is a proud West Virginia alum. The former punter for the Mountaineers and Indianapolis Colts has continually used his platform to prop up WVU whether it’s on ESPN’s College GameDay or doing The Pat McAfee Show live from Morgantown.

Not only that, he’s made some massive donations in the form of NIL contributions to his alma mater. Front Office Sports reported McAfee donated $1 million to the NIL collective “Country Roads Trust.”
AD Wren Baker is immensely thankful for someone like McAfee. He recently opened up on the impact of the sports media superstar on the school.

$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage

“It’s been huge. No one has developed a market share in terms of sports media that’s any greater than Pat’s. He’s an unapologetic champion for WVU. He certainly has been generous with his finances, but probably the more impactful thing is just the way that he loves his alma mater, and is the First Cheerleader,” Baker said, via Front Office Sports. “Whether it’s going to school here, playing here, being immersed in the culture here, he genuinely loves it, and is excited about it.”

As far as McAfee’s actual value to the school, and as FOS put it, the invoice would be astronomical. Baker said they couldn’t possibly pay McAfee back in terms of the dollar figures.

Pat McAfee has near immeasurable value to West Virginia

“We couldn’t pay for it,” Baker said. “It would be way up in the seven figures, maybe eight figures. Anytime he goes anywhere, that’s instant brand recognition, instant brand value. You’re going to have an excitement that’s created. You’re going to have people showing up, the atmosphere’s going to be incredible. It’s a huge asset for not just our institution, not just our athletic department, but also the state, and we’re really grateful for everything that he does.”

McAfee made his presence known at the College World Series this season. The West Virginia baseball team made it to Omaha for the first time in program history. 

Not only that, he bought an absurd amount of jello shots for the annual challenge at the CWS. Although that wasn’t without a little controversy as far as how it was handled.

How that translates to the money-making sport of football remains to be seen. McAfee championed the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, bringing him back to Morgantown. However, the Mountaineers went 4-8 las year and are currently rebuilding. WVU went 60-26, won four Big East titles and finished as high as No. 5 in the country in 2005 during his original tenure (2001-07). 

Either way, McAfee will be there to support. There’s no telling how much more he’ll donate to his favorite institution.