“Ruined the Entire Movie” “Give Him the Oscar”: Fans Have Mixed Reactions to Snippet of Pat McAfee’s Acting Debut

Prateek Singh Sun, November 1, 2026 at 4:29 AM UTC

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Pat McAfee - Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp © IMAGN

Pat McAfee has taken on a new challenge outside the world of sports broadcasting, making his acting debut in “The Mosquito Bowl.” The former NFL punter appears in the World War II film in a small role as an unnamed Marine Corps drill instructor.

A clip featuring McAfee in character was posted on X by Netflix Sports, prompting a wide range of reactions from fans. Some fans liked McAfee in the movie while others claimed he ruined it with his presence.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the Pat McAfee clip online:

“Just ruined the entire movie,” a fan wrote.

“Give him the Oscar immediately,” a fan wrote.

“The amount of money this is going to lose,” a fan wrote.

“Least threatening drill instructor,” a fan wrote.

“I’m begging, for the love of all things holy, make Pat McAfee go away,” a fan wrote.

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Directed by Peter Berg, “The Mosquito Bowl” is based on Buzz Bissinger’s book of the same name. The film follows four college football stars who enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Before being deployed to the Pacific, the men take part in a football game that gives the movie its title.

McAfee’s involvement came after he personally approached Berg about joining the project. He was keen to be part of the film and went a step further by spending five days at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. He also filmed an episode of the “Pat McAfee Show” at Parris Island in November last year.

Tom Cruise Helped Pat McAfee Prepare for His Role

During a conversation with Variety, Pat McAfee revealed that Tom Cruise helped him prepare for the role of the Marine Corps drill instructor. He said that when the actor was on his show to promote his movie, he took the opportunity to ask him about acting, specifically in a war movie.

“So, we interviewed with Tom Cruise for 15-20 minutes; he was way over time, which I was very grateful for, and as soon as we stopped recording, I said, ‘Tom, let’s say a friend of mine is being tasked with his first-ever acting role and he is playing a DI in a Peter Berg, World War II movie.’ And he goes, ‘Are you the friend you’re asking for?’ And I go, ‘Yes.’”

McAfee said that for seven minutes, Tom Cruise broke down the basics of acting in a war movie for him. Even though McAfee was hit with the realization that it was going to be a difficult task to execute, he was thankful that Cruise gave him the blueprint.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”