One of the lead producers of ESPN\u2019s flagship college football program, College GameDay, has been taken off the show.<\/p>\n
Jim Gaiero<\/a>, a veteran ESPN producer who has served as a lead producer on College GameDay for 10 years, will no longer produce the show, multiple sources confirm to Awful Announcing. Many involved with GameDay were informed of the news earlier this month.<\/p>\n Matthew Garrett, a vice president of production at ESPN, is expected to take over as executive producer of\u00a0GameDay.<\/p>\n Following publication of the story, Awful Announcing has learned of competing narratives as to why Gaiero was removed from\u00a0GameDay.<\/p>\n ESPN asserts that Gaiero is set to take a significant role on ESPN\u2019s production prep for the Super Bowl in February, where he\u2019ll contribute to pregame studio programming. Additionally Gaiero, an avid golfer, is expected to play an important role in ESPN\u2019s golf strategy around the Masters and PGA Championship, and he will eventually become the lead producer for both events in 2028. Gaiero will also produce ESPN\u2019s Thursday night college football game. Multiple sources pointed out that with a daughter in middle school, it will be good for him to get his weekends back as well.<\/p>\n But this is not the full story, multiple people involved with GameDay told Awful Announcing.<\/p>\n Many point to the timing of the announcement as \u201cnot passing the smell test at all,\u201d and that the move, if made for the reasons ESPN has put forth, would not have been handled like this from a timing standpoint. Multiple people compared it to the sudden announcement ESPN cutting ties with longtime production executive Lee Fitting<\/a>, who oversaw\u00a0College GameDay as well as\u00a0Monday Night Football.<\/p>\n Additionally, several noted Nick Saban\u2019s close relationship with Gaiero and that it is believed the move has not gone over well with the former Alabama coach.<\/p>\n Those who spoke to Awful Announcing believed that, at the very least, friction with Pat McAfee was factored into the decision, pointing to comments McAfee made on social media in October of 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think about old white people and old ESPN people, those are really the people that hate me the most at this stage of life,\u201d he said. \u201cNow granted, there\u2019s some other groups that certainly have threatened my life on a pretty regular basis, I\u2019d say they hate me too. But throughout the entirety, old whites and the old ESPN people over the last like three years have really hated me. That\u2019s who all the producers are of\u00a0GameDay\u00a0too. So now \u2014 it\u2019s been a fun run. College football is great. OK, cheers. Have a great day.\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple sources told Awful Announcing that the comments targeted Gaiero and Garrett, with one going as far as saying, \u201cHe was absolutely talking about Jim and Matthew Garrett. That isn\u2019t up for debate.\u201d<\/p>\n