• mgk soundtracks the highly-anticipated annual campaign launch
• Previous artists have included Jelly Roll, Post Malone, Imagine Dragons and Marshmello among others

GRAMMY-nominated multi-platinum recording artist mgk is ESPN’s music anthem artist for the 2025-26 college football season.

His new song ‘dont wait run fast’ off his new album, ‘lost americana’ will serve as the soundtrack for ESPN’s college football coverage all season across ESPN platforms and ABC. Kickoff coverage begins Saturday, Aug. 23. ‘lost americana’ is out on Aug. 8; pre-save link here.

Said Curtis Friends, ESPN Vice President of Marketing, “Music and college football have been intertwined for years, and our ESPN College Football anthem ushers in that first spark of the season.  This 12th iteration, mgk brings a passionate, high-voltage sound that mirrors the raw emotion and untamed spirit of college football.”

ESPN has collaborated with a musical artist for 12 years to create an anthem to drive excitement and awareness around ESPN’s college football coverage. Last year featured award-winning, GRAMMY-nominated Nashville native singer/songwriter Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) and his single ‘Get By.’

Other artists over the years include: Post Malone, Fall Out Boy, Lauren Alaina, X Ambassadors, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Imagine Dragons, Judah & the Lion, Juice WRLD & Marshmello, DJ Snake & Rick Ross, and Yungblud.

ESPN remains the home of college football with an unparalleled portfolio of marquee rivalries, non-conference showcases, conference championship contests and comprehensive postseason coverage in 2025. Fresh off the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Series for the rookie season of the SEC on ABC franchise, and entering the second year of an all-in agreement with the SEC, the first year of a new, expanded rights deal with the Big 12 and its continued long-term all-in relationship with the ACC, ESPN will present approximately 1,000 regular season games across all platforms, kicking off across the pond in Week 0 and concluding with the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

ESPN’s production theme music for SEC on ABC remains its reorchestrated classic theme from the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Follow @CollegeGameDay and @ESPNCFB on social media for more updates throughout the entire college football season.

All of ESPN. All in One Place. Coming this Fall.
This fall, for the first time ever, ESPN will offer its full suite of networks and services directly to fans, along with an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, betting information, fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality will be available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. For more visit the ESPN DTC Press Kit. 

About mgk
mgk is a GRAMMY-nominated multi-platinum recording artist who is an atomic force in music, entertainment, film and fashion. In 2020, the Cleveland, Ohio native eclipsed genre expectations releasing a Rock/Pop Punk album, the widely acclaimed ‘Tickets to My Downfall.’ The platinum album topped the Billboard 200 and became his first No. 1 effort. ‘Tickets to My Downfall’ landed 18 tracks on the Hot Rock Songs chart and spawned two No. 1 songs on the alternative side with “bloody valentine” and “my ex’s best friend,” which both went platinum. In 2022 he followed with ‘mainstream sellout,’ his second album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 cementing his status as a chart-topping artist. The album was nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award for “Best Rock Album” and was supported with a sold-out stadium and arena North American and Europe tour. The US leg ended in mgk’s hometown of Cleveland at the Huntington Bank Stadium playing to 50,000 fans, making him the first and only Ohio native to sell out the stadium. His forthcoming album ‘lost americana,’ will be released globally on August 8.