Pat Mcafee Announces His Debut Album. For Real. 'finding My Singing Voice Has Been Fun'

Pat McAfee knows conscionable what nan world needs successful 2026.

More Pat McAfee.

The erstwhile Indianapolis Colts punter and kicker already is seemingly everyplace — arsenic nan big of his ain show each weekday connected ESPN, arsenic an expert connected “College GameDay” and impermanent connected a number of different shows connected nan network, arsenic a commentator/participant pinch WWE until earlier this year, arsenic big of aggregate podcasts, etc.

McAfee has not, however, released an medium afloat of songs written and sung wholly by nan two-time Pro Bowl action himself.

That business will beryllium rectified successful a matter of weeks.

McAfee announced Wednesday that he would beryllium dropping his debut record, “The Diary of a Polarizing Figure,” connected Aug. 14, a philharmonic collaboration pinch state singer-songwriter Ernest.

“For arsenic agelong arsenic I tin retrieve my specified beingness has made group dislike my guts,” McAfee wrote successful an X station announcing nan project. “I’ve been penning songs astir it for 20yrs & it’s clip to fto them aht.. A LOT of headlines & narratives.. if I was to die, I’d for illustration my kids to cognize precisely who their dada is.”

Although McAfee decidedly has his detractors, it’s absorbing that he’s putting retired an medium focusing connected nan haters, considering his existent fame is specified that he is reportedly successful talks for a statement hold pinch ESPN that would salary him much than $60 cardinal a year.

Some online commenters person criticized McAfee for nan timing of his announcement, which comes a time aft a number of his ESPN colleagues were laid off by Walt Disney Co. McAfee reposted 1 specified title connected X and commented simply, “The Diary of a Polarizing Figure, August 14th, 2026.”

He said Wednesday connected “The Pat McAfee Show”: “A batch of things are being said astir maine astatine this nonstop moment. [People] are going to perceive my responses done these songs because these types of situations person been happening to maine passim my full life. … Literally since simple schoolhouse I’ve had group that conscionable don’t for illustration maine because I’m excessively large and everything for illustration that.”

In December, McAfee released a country-rock azygous called “Dookie,” besides a philharmonic collaboration pinch Ernest. A news merchandise astatine nan clip stated that nan azygous marked “a caller partnership betwixt McAfee and DeVille Records / Big Loud Records.”

Ernest told Whiskey Riff early this twelvemonth that he and McAfee had recorded 8 aliases 9 songs together.

“Any EA Sports crippled should person a Pat McAfee opus connected it,” Ernest said successful describing nan erstwhile West Virginia standout’s philharmonic style. “It’s locker room hype s—.”

Many athletes person attempted philharmonic careers, pinch varying degrees of captious and commercialized success. It would look acold less sports broadcasters person tried nan aforesaid crossover, pinch John Tesh astir apt being nan best-known illustration aft his stint covering diversion events for CBS and NBC successful nan mid-1980s.

If he wants proposal from a peer, possibly McAfee mightiness activity it from Terry Bradshaw, nan four-time Super Bowl champion and longtime NFL expert who besides has released a number of country/gospel albums and moreover had a apical 10 state deed pinch a cover of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” successful nan 1970s.

McAfee said connected his show that he “wrote this full point complete nan past 20 years aliases truthful successful nan notes section” of his phone.

“A batch of very individual worldly successful here,” he said. “Finding my singing sound has been fun. That has been a blast. Then [to] each nan unthinkable group successful Nashville who person assisted and benignant of helped maine portion each this together, I’m truthful grateful and thankful.”