- College football’s premier pregame show makes its ninth trip to America’s Game, first trip to Gillette Stadium
- Army head coach Jeff Monken and Navy head coach Brian Newberry to join the show along with Superintendents from both West Point and the Naval Academy
- Other special guests: NFL Patriots’ legendary head coach Bill Belichick as guest picker and Patriots CEO Robert Kraft; military officials including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Naval Operations
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot travels to Foxborough, Mass., for the historic matchup between Army and Navy this weekend – the ninth all-time visit to ‘America’s Game’ and first trip to Gillette Stadium, home to the NFL’s New England Patriots. The show will be live from 10 a.m. to noon ET (ESPN and ESPNU), originating from Lot 5B outside the stadium.
Host Rece Davis will be joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso – a former Navy assistant coach from 1966-68, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard – Michigan Heisman Trophy winner, and Pat McAfee with college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin.
Coach Corso has picked Navy each of the eight previous times the game was featured on the show, going 4-4 with his picks.
This year marks the 124th playing of the game as the Black Knights face the Midshipmen for the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The Boston region is hosting the game in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party and the 225th anniversary of the USS Constitution’s maiden voyage. This will be the first time the Army-Navy Game has been played in the New England region and Navy will serve as the home team. The premier pregame show will highlight all the pageantry and traditions of ‘America’s Game’ before the U.S. service academies meet in their annual rivalry game.
Last week at the SEC Championship, GameDay delivered its most-watched conference championship show since 2011, averaging 1.9 million viewers (peaking at 2.6 million) – up 28% over 2022’s Week 14. The premier pregame show finished the 2023 season on par with the record-breaking 2022 season, averaging 2.0 million viewers, including CGD season records of six shows surpassing 2.2 million viewers and a reach of 30 million total viewers.
Show Highlights & Guests
- Lada will talk with both head coaches – Army’s Jeff Monken and Navy’s Brian Newberry, for Saturday’s show ahead of America’s Game, while New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft will join the desk during GameDay.
- General Charles Q. Brown, Jr.,the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, will be live from Foxborough with the GameDay crew, along with the Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George and the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti.
- Naval Academy Superintendent Rear Admiral Fred Kacher and West Point Superintendent General Steve Gilland will also make live appearances during the Week 15 show.
- Guest picker – The New England Patriots’ legendary head coach Bill Belichick will join the GameDay crew as the Week 15 guest picker. The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach will make his debut appearance on the show.
- The four Heisman finalists — Jayden Daniels (LSU), Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), will join GameDay remotely ahead of Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Ceremony presented by Nissan (8 p.m., ESPN).
Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.
Features:
- A Soldier’s Sacrifice – A family military history that predates the birth of the United States and rooted in a love for Army and the Army-Navy game, Jen Lada shares the story of West Point graduate and Black Hawk helicopter pilot Steve Dwyer Jr.’s life, legacy and sacrifice.
- Turning the Table – Jess Sims visits the United States Military Academy and attempts the challenges of the Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT) – a test that all Cadets must complete before graduation.
- Shipping Up to Boston – The most American of college football games is being played in the shadow of one of the most American cities for the first time. ESPN analyst and three-time Patriots Super Bowl champion Tedy Bruschi examines Boston’s countless ties to our nation’s military history and its enduring connection to both the Army and Navy.
For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.
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