• College GameDay kicks off the 2025 college football season in Columbus, Ohio, as National Champion Buckeyes host Longhorns in College Football Playoff Semifinal rematch
• Corso will make his final headgear pick at the site where it all started in 1996, while the show and Home Depot pay tribute with limited edition show logo
• GameDay makes its 26th trip to Ohio State – the most of any school to host
• Special guests on-site: Head coaches Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian, Chris Fowler, actor Glen Powell and more 

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot is back for its 39th season and kicks off the new year live from Columbus, Ohio, before the reigning National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns in a College Football Playoff Semifinal rematch. The premier college football pregame show will be live from outside St. John Arena on Ohio State’s campus for its 26th trip all time – the most of any school to host the show, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU.

The show marks a send-off for one of college football’s most beloved personalities as Lee Corso makes his final appearance after 38 seasons on College GameDay. Corso has been part of the show since it debuted in 1987, and he has entertained crowds on more than 70 college campuses and other game sites. Entering his final telecast, Corso has made 430 headgear picks all-time, including picking the Buckeyes a record 45 times. The 90-year-old will make his final headgear pick back where he began the tradition, donning Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye mascot head in Columbus on October 5, 1996.

The Home Depot has partnered with ESPN and GameDay since 2003 and to commemorate his legacy, the show will debut a special one-time logo – “College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and Lee Corso,” incorporating Corso’s signature into The Home Depot’s iconic branding. The tribute is a way to thank Corso for the joy he’s brought to fans and for helping shape College GameDay.

Regulars Return and Reputable Renewals
Announced earlier this year, host Rece Davis has signed a multi-year extension and returns to the helm for his 11th season. Davis is joined at the desk by GameDay analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit who is back for his 29th season, Michigan Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Desmond Howard, who recently signed a multi-year contract extension, in his 20th season, former West Virginia kicker/punter and newly named WVU Sports Hall of Famer Pat McAfee enters his fourth season as a full-time analyst for the pregame show, and Hall of Fame Alabama head coach and 2025 Sports Emmy Award winner Nick Saban who is back for his second season on GameDay.

College football insider Pete Thamel (fourth season), college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin (third season) and reporters Jen Lada (10th season) and Jess Sims (fourth season) are all back for the 2025 season to round out the GameDay cast.

College GameDay is coming off its second straight Sports Emmy Award-winning campaign where it finished the 2024 season averaging 2.2 million viewers, its most-watched season on record.

For the Fans
ESPN will offer on-site commemorative giveaways for fans attending the Week 1 College GameDay show in Columbus. The first 100 fans in attendance will have the opportunity to bring home Lee Corso final show keepsake t-shirts, while 1,000 handheld Corso masks will be distributed to fill the crowd with his iconic smile. Fans will also have the opportunity to take photos with an extra-large Corso mascot head.

ESPN Unlimited subscribers on site and at home will have a chance to win a limited-edition Lee Corso action figure after engaging with ESPN social media posts leading into Corso’s final show. This exclusive collectible, with only 30 made, features a College GameDay desk, a customizable sign, two interchangeable mascot heads and a QR code that allows fans to personalize their ESPN App to suit their preferences.

For additional onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.

Show Highlights & Guests

• Coaches and players – Buckeyes’ head coach Ryan Day will join the GameDay desk during the show while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will be interviewed on the field ahead of the game. Former OSU quarterback Will Howard joins the show for pregame insights.
• Special guests – ESPN’s lead college football play-by-play voice and former GameDay host, Chris Fowler will return to the desk for a roundtable discussion about Lee Corso’s legacy. Glen Powell – diehard Texas fan and star of Hulu’s upcoming Chad Powers (debuting in September), will join the set during the Week 1 show.

• Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Returning for its third season, the fan-favorite Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest is back to offer an exclusive contest during the live show. Fans who arrive early will have a chance to be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. If the contestant successfully completes the kick, he/she will be awarded $50,000 from McAfee. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
• The final pick – For his 431st and final headgear pick, the legendary Lee Corso will bring the showmanship that viewers have grown to know and love over the course of his 38-year career on GameDay. Surprises and mascots galore will help mark this memorable moment for the GameDay patriarch. Additionally, SEC Network, ACC Network and ESPN Radio will simulcast Corso’s final headgear pick in a rare roadblock across ESPN networks.

Features:

• The Early Years –Voices from College GameDay’s past and present tell the journey of Coach Lee Corso from the sideline to the studio and beyond.
• History of the Headgear –Voices from College GameDay’s past and present discuss the history of one of the most iconic traditions in television sports history.
• A Manning of His Own –Wright Thompson sets the table for one of the most anticipated seasons for a college quarterback in the modern era, Texas’s Arch Manning.
• Chapel Bill Begins – GameDay’s Rece Davis sits with six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick to discuss his highly-anticipated college coaching debut at North Carolina.
• Remembering Chad Hanna – Only two people have been part of the College GameDay team since it first hit the road nearly three decades ago – Lee Corso and Chad Hanna. Producer Jim Gaiero, a longtime colleague of Hanna, remembers the heart and soul of the GameDay production truck after his passing.
• Choices – Life is a matter of choices. For the last 29 years, one choice has risen above the rest on every College GameDay. Not because of the match ups, but because of the man. Kirk Herbstreit tees up Coach Corso’s final headgear selection, culminating his brilliant career.

ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage
Back for their fourth season together, Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr., return for ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper. The trio heads to Columbus for Week 1 with fun, fresh insights into the kickoff weekend. The opening show of the season will feature Jess Sims joining for a weekly ‘Get More with GameDay’ segment and college football insider Heather Dinich to talk all the matchups of the day.

The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. ET weekly.

Celebrating the Legend
To mark an end of an era, ESPN partnered with Arts & Letters to launch a new creative 30-second spot to celebrate Corso’s legacy, the joy and unpredictability of the sport, and ESPN’s role at the center of college football culture.

College Football on ESPN: “Lee Corso’s Final Show”
https://youtu.be/XIxUf_Jd-i8
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Media Contact:
Julie McKay, ESPN Communications – [email protected], @McKay_Julie