PAT McAfee has risen to become one of the most popular – and best paid – sports broadcasters in the United States.
Earlier this year, the former NFL star joined ESPN in a five-year deal worth a whopping $85 million.
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The principal reason for McAfee's incredible success is his energy, authenticity and uncanny ability to connect with, and relate to, a young audience.
But McAfee has also built a strong cast of characters around him on his daily YouTube show, who have become an integral part of the program's success.
Here is a look at McAfee's inside circle which ranges from a Super Bowl winner with the Green Bay Packers, a cinema studies graduate from Iowa, and a former high school friend from Plum, Pennsylvania.
AJ Hawk
The former NFL linebacker was selected as the No. 5 pick by the Packers in the 2006 Draft after a stellar career with Ohio State.
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Hawk was a two-time All-American, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Lombardi Award winner at the illustrious college.
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As a freshman in 2002, he played in all 14 games during Ohio State’s run to the national championship.
Hawk played for the Packers for nine seasons, helping Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV.
He played two more seasons in the NFL after he left the Packers in 2015 – leaving with the team's all-time tackling record – suiting up for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons.
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Hawk did not not have much of a relationship with McAfee during their respective NFL careers.
But after moving into the podcast space, he began teaming up with McAfee in 2017 and now serves as the co-host for the final two hours of The Pat McAfee Show.
Known for appearing remotely from his Ohio mansion, Hawk occasionally guest-hosts the show when McAfee is not available.
“We met briefly at the coin toss when I was playing a preseason game for the Bengals,” Hawk told The Athletic.
“Years later I started coming on his show every couple months.
"I started doing five days a week with Pat a couple years ago. Everything happened organically, and I love it.
"I genuinely look forward to joining the show every single day.
"Pat has a unique skill for recognizing a talent someone has and giving them the opportunity to showcase what they have.
"He is very generous with both his time and money.”
Ty Schmit
Schmit, who sits on 'Toxic Table' alongside Boston Connor, has worked as a producer on McAfee's show since 2017 after starting as an intern.
He graduated from the University of Iowa in 2014 with a degree in cinema and communication studies.
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After leaving Iowa, Schmit took a sales job as he assessed his next career move.
When he read a tweet from McAfee seeking video applications for internships at his newly established media company in Indianapolis, Schmit applied for the role and managed to secure a full-time job in the process.
“I thought there was no way that I was going to get this opportunity, but I got lucky and they liked my video,” he recalled.
“They invited around 70 people to interview in Indianapolis.
"As soon as I got that email, I quit my job.
"I put all the chips in the center of the table.”
After a number of years working behind the scenes, Schmit was promoted to producer and given an opportunity to be on the mic.
"I’ve gotten to do some insanely cool stuff working for Pat, and at some point, I’ll look back on it all and have to pinch myself because it doesn’t seem real," he told The Athletic.
"It doesn’t get lost on me, or anyone else that works for Pat, how truly lucky we are."
Tone Digz
Known for wearing a cowboy hat, Tone Digz' real name is Anthony DiGuilio.
Digz has known McAfee since high school in Pennsylvania alongside fellow staff members Nick Maraldo and chief financial officer Phil Mains.
As well as appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Digz has hosted the sports betting podcast Hammer Dahn.
Digz recently revealed on the show that he was working as a sales district manager for ADP in Pittsburgh before he teamed up with McAfee in 2017.
"I was happy or at least I thought I was happy," he said.
"And then you [McAfee] come along and do this and it unlocks eight different avenues, as it's doing something that you never thought you would do, especially in front of a crowd like this.
"It's like a family locker room every day, it's the best feeling."
Darius Butler
The former NFL defensive back was a teammate with McAfee at the Colts.
After starring for the University of Connecticut, Butler was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
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After two years with the Patriots, he moved onto the Carolina Panthers before joining the Colts in 2012, where he had his most successful spell in the league.
He has forged a successful media presence since retiring in 2017.
Butler, 37, is the co-host of the Man to Man Podcast alongside former NFL player Antoine Bethea where they cover football, F1 and all things sports.
He has appeared on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Fox Sports’ The Herd with Colin Cowherd and is a regular guest on The Pat McAfee Show.
In 2022, ESPN signed Butler to appear on NFL Matchup, the weekend show which breaks down game film to offer detailed analysis of the NFL.
AQ Shipley
The former NFL center is another former teammate of McAfee's at the Colts.
He played 12 seasons in the league for six teams, including two stints at the Colts in 2012 and 2014.
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Shipley won a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 despite his season ending early due to injury.
After retiring in 2021, he was named offensive assistant with the Buccaneers.
Shipley is now a regular guest on The Pat McAfee Show, co-hosting the In The Trenches segment.
"Pat McAfee and I have been friends for years – we went to each other’s weddings," he said.
"He asked me to come on and talk about offensive line stuff – to break down what was going on around the league on camera and show what I know and what allowed me to be successful over the years."
Adam 'Pacman' Jones
The former cornerback had a 13-year career in the NFL after being selected by the Tennessee Titans with the sixth pick overall in the 2005 Draft.
Jones was given the name Pacman as a child by his mother who said he would change direction as fast as the video game character Pac-Man.
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Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 but his career was hit by a number of off-field incidents, including being suspended for the 2007 season.
Earlier this month, he was arrested at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport after airport police responded to a call about an “unruly passenger.”
Jones was booked on misdemeanor counts of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening.
He was later released.
Jones forged a role as a popular regular guest on The Pat McAfee Show this year.
Chuck Pagano
Pagano is a long-time football coach and served as McAfee's former head coach at the Colts.
He hosts "Coach P's Keys" every Thursday during the NFL season.
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Pagano has maintained a close relationship with McAfee and regularly tells stories about his former punter.
"He’s a guy you want to work for. He’s a good man," McAfee said of Pagano.
"I think that’s why you won’t hear a single player ever say anything bad about Chuck."
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Pagano's coaching career began in 1984 with USC and ended with the Chicago Bears in 2021.
Now 62, Pagano overcame leukemia in 2012.
