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ESPN Announces Aaron Donald News on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 3:42 PM ET

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald had a legendary NFL career. In 10 years, he earned 10 Pro Bowl nods, First-Team All-Pro honors eight times and won Defensive Player of the Year three times.

Before being selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Donald spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He earned AP first-team All-America honors in his senior season in 2013.

Now, his alma mater, the No. 22 Panthers, has a big matchup against the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 12. The game is drawing lots of attention, with ESPN's "College GameDay" even setting up in Pittsburgh.

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99).Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The matchup could have serious College Football Playoff implications, and the former defensive lineman will be back in town to see it. On Thursday, ESPN announced that Donald would be making a "College GameDay" appearance as Week 12's guest picker.

"Aaron Donald is returning to Pitt to be this week's guest picker and have his jersey retired," "College GameDay's" official X account revealed.

Aaron Donald is returning to Pitt to be this week's guest picker and have his jersey retired @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/8nljMlE60y
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 13, 2025

As mentioned, he'll have his No. 97 jersey retired, as first reported by the program back in September. During Donald's time with the Panthers, he accumulated 181 tackles, 66 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

It's an uphill battle for Pittsburgh, though, with ESPN BET placing Notre Dame as 12.5-point favorites. Even with a loss, though, the Panthers can still make the College Football Playoff through an ACC title.

Despite being such large underdogs, Donald will almost certainly still be choosing his alma mater when making his predictions on "College GameDay." The game is scheduled for noon ET at Acrisure Stadium, airing on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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