RECE Davis paid tribute to his “sensational” teammate Pat McAfee ahead of another season of College Gameday.

McAfee enters his third year with the popular and action-packed ESPN pregame show.

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And his passion and energy, coupled with existing crew members, have helped ensure College Gameday remains one of the best shows in sports.

Davis is in his ninth year as host of College Gameday and has built a strong relationship with show stars Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.

Speaking to the US Sun in Dublin, Ireland, this week, Davis said McAfee “brought energy to the show.”

Davis added: “I don’t think we were sitting up there without energy, but McAfee’s energy is something else.”

“It was amazing. He worked really, really hard because his first year he came in and said, ‘I have to learn this.’

“He worked his butt off to make sure he knew the college game inside and out. And he’s so smart that it didn’t take long. He learned it very quickly, he was great.”

McAfee is the star of his own ESPN show and earns around $17 million a year from his work.

“Amazing teammate,” Davis said of the former punter.

“And he doesn’t have to, because he has built an empire that is remarkable from both a business perspective and a sports broadcasting perspective.

“But he was just a sensational teammate, he has a connection with the people and the audience, and I honestly don’t think in my 30 years at ESPN I’ve ever seen anyone build such a close connection with the audience as he did.”

“I’m really grateful for how he fitted in and wanted to be part of the team.

“He made suggestions that were welcomed and encouraged, but he didn’t come and say, ‘I have to make this show the image of my show.’

“He came up with ideas about how to make things better, but he wanted to be part of the whole thing and had a lot of respect for the College Gameday brand, and that made him a sensational teammate.”

College Gameday hosted its first ever overseas show this weekend in Dublin, Ireland.

The broadcast took place before the season opening game between Florida State and Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium.

Hours before the showpiece, fans crowded into the ESPN set in downtown Dublin.

Another change for College Gameday was the addition of former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Davis said, “I think he will bring a dimension to College Gameday that has never been seen before.”

“I think what impresses me most about him is that he doesn’t come into this job saying, ‘I’m Nick Saban, seven-time national champion, and people are going to listen to me.'”

“Instead, he approached it the same way he approached coaching. His preparation was second to none.

“His willingness and eagerness to learn how things work, to contribute ideas, to share ideas with us and to make different suggestions was great.

“Very few people in the world understand team spirit and the development of a group of people like he does.”

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