The Lee Corso era on College GameDay is coming to an end. ESPN announced on Thursday that the legendary studio analyst will make his final appearance on August 30, 2025 and then retire.
Corso has been one of the defining figures in college football’s rise in popularity over the last few decades. His joy and exuberance on the College GameDay set helped make the show one of the defining studio shows of our time. And ESPN’s decision to send Lee Corso and company on the road to campuses across the country for College GameDay has proven to be one of the best moves in the history of sports media.
As his retirement was announced on Thursday, his ESPN colleagues and scores of other people from around the sports media world and beyond paid tribute to the college football and broadcasting icon.
quick reflections and tribute to a dear friend and living legend, with word now official that #leecorso is retiring from @CollegeGameDay after one huge send off!
much more to come. Love you, LC! pic.twitter.com/V2Q15Qi795— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) April 17, 2025
Love ya Coach-you’ll be missed more than ya know. Been our honor to be with ya all these years. https://t.co/tQHMn5wjyV pic.twitter.com/XdH0btZx9K
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) April 17, 2025
What Lee Corso means to me. pic.twitter.com/vS2gg410dW
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) April 17, 2025
Icon. Legend. Star. No doubt. But read about how his teammates on Gameday speak about the man. Getting a glimpse of it during a season I spent some time with them, I can tell you – his kindness & warmth are iconic and legendary. Yo, sweetheart, you’re loved beyond measure. https://t.co/NoMOooFS17
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) April 17, 2025
Statement from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro on Lee Corso’s upcoming retirement
More: https://t.co/RpjhSPhmQJ pic.twitter.com/JhX7pcEcSQ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 17, 2025
Honored to work with Lee Corso. Just an incredible spirit and kindness, that he shared with all. Corso on his final @CollegeGameDay in Week 1: “My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years.” https://t.co/RyFPIYAB0N
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 17, 2025
No show celebrates a sport more than College GameDay, and no person celebrated it more than Lee Corso.
It’s why the show and him have endured for so long and never lost popularity.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) April 17, 2025
End of an era. Lee Corso is a legend. https://t.co/Iw1P5Wf6O1
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 17, 2025
Lee Corso = Legendary!!! Congrats on Retirement in August!! “Not so fast my friend” 🙏🏾 College football isn’t what it is without you my man
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) April 17, 2025
His legacy will forever be linked w the sport. Lee Corso is an icon. The best of the best. https://t.co/m5xP0Y6xFc
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) April 17, 2025
Lee Corso’s passion for college football has resonated with fans for decades.
A fall Saturday morning is not complete until he makes his headgear pick. Can’t wait to see the final one.
An absolute legend. What a run. https://t.co/OQN6Jr78ul
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 17, 2025
Corso has not been the same on air since a stroke that he suffered in 2009, but he has still been a beloved figure ever since. Any appearance that he was able to make on College GameDay was cherished as we all knew it was not going to last forever.
ESPN has made new additions to College GameDay recently with Pat McAfee and Nick Saban joining the set to prepare for this moment. But Corso’s famous headgear picks have remained the climax of every episode of College GameDay in which he has appeared.
The fact that Lee Corso will get to go out on his terms with a huge celebration of what he has meant to college football to kick off the 2025 season is the best way that ESPN could have handled the situation. And the countless tributes that have poured in for Corso in the minutes since his retirement announcement show just what a huge celebration it is going to be.
