We all knew the day was coming when Lee Corso would no longer be on the set of College GameDay.
The broadcasting icon will appear on his final GameDay to begin the 2025 season as ESPN announced this week. The 90-year-old Corso has been a part of the program since its inception, all the way back in 1987. And through the years, he became a beloved figure in the sport and beyond, as evidenced by the outpouring of tributes that followed the announcement.
It’s always an unenviable task to step into the shoes of a titanic figure whose personality has been the centerpiece of a sports institution. As the adage goes, you don’t want to be the guy that replaces the guy. Gene Bartow famously had just two seasons as the replacement for John Wooden at UCLA. More recently, Jerod Mayo got just one season with the New England Patriots following in the footsteps of Bill Belichick.
The same can be true in sports broadcasting. It’s almost impossible to replace a legend. But over the past few years, ESPN has been preparing for this exact moment.
Lee Corso suffered a stroke in 2009 and bravely remained a part of College GameDay broadcasts through his recovery. However, in recent years, he has missed multiple shows, and his presence has been limited to individual segments.
So, what ESPN has done is prepare for Corso’s eventual departure while he is still part of the program. It’s been a genius move because it has acclimated the College GameDay audience to the faces and voices that would be the centerpiece of the show moving forward.
First came the addition of Pat McAfee before the 2023 season. While his first season on College GameDay was polarizing, and McAfee openly questioned whether he would return for a second season due to fan sentiment, he ultimately made the decision to return. And his second year on the program was much better and much smoother. His weekly kicking contest with fans in the crowd or celebrities, and his giving to charity, has been one of the best new segments on any sports show.
Much of what made Pat McAfee’s second year on College GameDay a much better experience was the addition of Nick Saban. Adding arguably the greatest coach in the history of the sport to your studio show as an analyst is never a bad idea.
But Saban was refreshingly and surprisingly engaging as an analyst, not willing to pull punches at all. And if anything, his approach and instant credibility provided the perfect counterweight to McAfee’s excitability and playing to the live crowd.
Having all three of Saban, Corso, and McAfee on set this year almost served as a season-long passing of the torch and an endorsement of the new direction College GameDay would eventually take in 2025.
College GameDay in College Station finishes up with…
* A shirtless Pat McAfee
* Guest picker Johnny Manziel
* Lee Corso dressed — and dancing — as a leprechaun
* Nick Saban (hugged by shirtless McAfee): “I’ve never been to anything like this. This is so much fun.” 🏈📺🎙️ pic.twitter.com/DjKmYO4XwP— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 31, 2024
When broadcasters retire or move on, there is usually a game of trying to discover or find out which ex player or ex coach can step in and do the job. But a quick look across the college landscape shows that there isn’t anyone out there that you would say could immediately step in and fill that spot. Outside of Deion Sanders wanting to return to television, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would have the charisma and chemistry to step in on the College GameDay set next year and win fans over.
And in all honesty, that is an excellent thing for ESPN. The simple truth is that nobody can truly replace Lee Corso. As Rece Davis has already gone on record of saying, the mascot headgear pick that he ended every episode with should rest and retire with him. If Pat McAfee or Nick Saban tried it, there is no doubt it would be seen negatively by college football fans.
The long-term futures of both Pat McAfee and Nick Saban on College GameDay may not be set in stone. McAfee appears to be approaching it on a year-to-year basis, given his other commitments, such as his daily studio show and WWE commentary. Saban is 73 years old and has no idea how long he wants to continue the traveling road show each week in the fall.
But ESPN can be content in waiting to figure out their next move after the 2025 season when the time comes. For the moment, College GameDay remains the gold standard for sports shows.
