ESPN’s DJ

o middle school students at Pittsburgh Classical Academy, he’s Mr. Griffin — their music teacher. But after each week in the classroom during the fall, Mr. Griffin gets to preside over some of the most festive and raucous gatherings on college campuses all over the country. He’s there to play music and keep the tailgate-party atmosphere going in the background of ESPN’s popular football pregame show, College GameDay.

To college football fans, everywhere from Ann Arbor to Tuscaloosa, he’s DJ Griff. His real name is Ryan Griffin, a 2010 graduate of Slippery Rock University with a degree in music. And he laid down his first tracks as a music teacher and disc jockey while at SRU.

“I never imagined I’d get to do this in my wildest dreams,” Griffin said. “It’s hard to put into words the joy and excitement this GameDay gig brings me — traveling to all these states, cities and colleges. I got into DJing because I’m just a huge fan of fun. When I see a group of people dancing outside or at a club or an event, they’re having fun, and I really crave to be a part of that.”

Griffin’s job seems rather simple: show up on Saturday mornings at whichever campus ESPN GameDay is broadcasting from and play music for two hours before the show starts and between the commercial breaks. The live show airs from 9 a.m. to noon, Eastern time, and the fans play just as much of a role as the analysts. But there are nuances, instincts and even a bit of research that goes into it.

“There are students who have been there for 12 hours in the heat or the cold (to get a spot close to the stage to appear on TV) and you need to keep them as excited as they were when they first got there,” Griffin said. “It’s a big party, and they want to keep everyone as active and hyped up as possible.”

That might mean playing the perfect song for the moment or knowing which fanbases respond to certain anthems or chants.

“I spend a couple hours each week Googling and watching YouTube videos of in-stadium music to know what the crowd likes,” Griffin said. “You have to put yourself in the audience’s shoes, and think, ‘What would I want to hear right now?’”

It also helps to follow music trends, testing songs, and knowing what’s popular on college campuses. Griffin said “FE!N” by Travis Scott was a go-to song last fall.

Griffin’s first experiences on college campuses and as a DJ was at SRU more than 15 years ago. To say he was active on SRU’s campus is an understatement. He performed in five music ensembles as an instrumentalist and vocalist, including the trumpet in the marching band. He was a member of Delta Chi and the Mu Phi Epsilon music honorary, he played on the ultimate frisbee club team, he refereed intramural sports, and he was a health center peer educator.

Too much campus involvement and his fandom for fun came at a cost. He overslept, underperformed and had misplaced his priorities. Griffin said his grades were terrible and he was nearly kicked out of the music education program for often not showing up for his field experiences. But through interventions from faculty and administrators like Mechelle and Stephen Hawk, Colleen Gray and even then president, Robert Smith, he was able to stay in the program and secure a student-teaching position.

“SRU gave me a second chance when I didn’t deserve one,” Griffin said. “I’m forever grateful to the school and the music and education departments and so many more. The second chance I got from SRU really taught me to be empathetic and kind — and to work harder.”

Although his redemption led to him becoming a teacher, Griffin couldn’t have realized that an earlier discussion with Matt Kovacik, the owner of Ginger Hill Tavern in Slippery Rock, led to him becoming DJ Griff. Griffin had played music at private parties but after talking with Kovacik he was offered the chance to fill in as a DJ at Ginger Hill for nearly a dozen weekends.

“I tried a lot of things and that got me doing weddings, and I just continued to get more comfortable,” Griffin said. “This journey started at Slippery Rock, whether it was the Music Department and the education program, or just wanting to have a good time playing music and making people happy.”

After graduating from SRU, Griffin became a teacher in his native Plum neighborhood of Pittsburgh, then four years outside of Philadelphia, before coming back home to work in the Pittsburgh City School District in 2016. He continued to DJ at weddings and other special events before a friend from high school, former NFL player and ESPN on-air personality Pat McAfee asked him to DJ his New Year’s Eve party at a concert hall in Indianapolis. The private party attended by more than 2,500 people at the time was easily the largest event he’s ever DJed.

Griffin kept in touch with McAfee, who joined ESPN’s College GameDay as a full-time analyst in 2022. McAfee adds flair to the show as a hypeman himself, inciting the crowd with chants, singalongs and other histrionics, not to mention a field-goal kicking contest for charity. It makes sense for College GameDay to also have someone playing music, which it did until after the first week of the 2023 season when the previous DJ quit. Producers turned to McAfee for help.

“So about midway through the week, they had to find a new DJ,” Griffin said. “They were brainstorming and Pat’s like, ‘I know a guy. I can try him,’ and so he reached out to me. I’m forever indebted to Pat for thinking of me and advocating for me.”

Before committing to 14 weekends away from home, Griffin received support from his wife, Paola, who he remains grateful for “holding down the fort,” along with his two daughters, Mayia and Bailey, and son, Zak. Griffin accepted the offer and a few days later he was on the College GameDay set in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He’s now been the DJ for two seasons of the show and occasionally makes a cameo appearance on air, along with shoutouts from his high school chum, McAfee.

Griffin has gained notoriety and professional experiences with College GameDay, which has helped in both roles as DJ Griff and Mr. Griffin.

“Since I am a music teacher, I can relate some of the lessons to music production and I’ve gotten a few extra DJ gigs each year,” Griffin said. “My students are really interested; they’ll always ask me in class, ‘So where are you going this week?’”

Despite visiting all the big-time college campuses, Griffin has not forgotten about The Rock. SRU even comes to him. A group of SRU students from the sport management program work on the College GameDay when they visit Ohio State, Penn State and other nearby campuses. He’s occasionally recognized by other SRU alumni, even though he wears apparel representing that week’s home team.

“My favorite school is whatever school we’re at that Saturday,” Griffin said with a sheepish grin. “But people will often ask, ‘So where did you go?’ and I always proudly say Slippery Rock.”