‘College GameDay’ ends with Pat McAfee promo replacing Lee Corso headgear pick

Lee Corso’s headgear era officially ended last Saturday in Columbus, and ESPN didn’t try to replace it.

The 90-year-old legend put on Brutus Buckeye’s head one final time, picked Ohio State to beat Texas, and walked off into the college football sunset after 38 years on College GameDay. Rece Davis had made it clear that nobody would be taking over the mascot headgear tradition, promising to “deliver a form tackle that would make Chris Spielman jealous” to anyone who tried.

So what did ESPN actually do for their first post-Corso Saturday? Pretty much exactly what they’ve been doing when Corso missed time over the past few years.

Pat McAfee did the same thing he’s been doing. The former Indianapolis Colts punter stuck to his usual wrestling-style pick with no new twist, picking the home team like he does almost every week.

The first College GameDay of the post-Lee Corso era ends with Pat McAfee cutting a WWE-style promo before picking the home team in Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/TW8LSvvj30

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2025

And honestly, that’s the right move.

The network clearly learned from experience that trying to manufacture a replacement for Corso’s headgear picks would have felt forced and awkward. They’ve had years to figure out what works when he’s not there, and the answer has been letting McAfee’s natural crowd-pleasing instincts take over.

McAfee’s wrestling promo-style picks have been the show’s most viral moments anyway when Corso wasn’t around. He knows how to work a crowd, he’s not afraid to be loud and over-the-top, and college students eat up his energy.

It’s different from Corso’s silly charm, but it works in its own way.

The transition felt seamless because it wasn’t really a transition at all. ESPN just officially acknowledged what had already been happening, which is that GameDay can function without the headgear tradition and that McAfee’s natural showmanship fills the void well enough.

There’s something to be said for not trying to force a replacement for something that was genuinely irreplaceable. Corso’s headgear picks worked because they were Corso’s headgear picks. The 90-year-old coach putting on a mascot head was endearing and silly in a way that nobody else could replicate.

Rather than awkwardly trying to pass that torch to someone else, ESPN just let the tradition die with its creator and moved on. McAfee doesn’t need a gimmick. His personality is the gimmick.

The real test will be whether this approach sustains College GameDay’s cultural relevance in the long term. Corso’s headgear picks were appointment television for millions of college football fans. McAfee’s crowd work is entertaining, but it doesn’t have the same iconic status.

Then again, maybe that’s okay. College GameDay has evolved plenty over the years, and the show was already becoming more entertainment-focused with McAfee’s addition. The headgear tradition was a relic from a different era of the show anyway.

ESPN made the right call by not trying to replace the irreplaceable. Sometimes the best way to honor a legend is to let their legacy stand alone rather than awkwardly trying to recreate it with someone else.

College football will survive without Lee Corso putting on mascot heads. And based on this first week, so will College GameDay.