October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Pitt Legend Announced as College GameDay Guest Picker

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Karl Ludwig | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 3:38 PM ET

PITTSBURGH - Pitt Panthers legend Aaron Donald now has an additional responsibility this weekend.

Donald, who will be in attendance when No. 22 Pitt takes on No. 9 Notre Dame this weekend for his jersey retirement ceremony during the game, has been picked as the special guest picker for College GameDay, the show announced today.

There are no shortage of former stars and local celebrities who could have been picked for the honor, but it makes sense for Donald to do it on the day dedicated to his dominance at the University of Pittsburgh.

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

Donald will join the GameDay crew - which includes former West Virginia specialist Pat McAfee - on set to make picks at the end of the show, which includes Pitt vs. Notre Dame. There will likely be additional people connected to the university and the city of Pittsburgh who will make appearances on the popular show, too.

Donald himself needs no introduction to Pitt fans. The former Pitt and NFL superstar is one of the most recognizable names in program history.

"I'm sure there's a lot of offensive linemen happy he's not in the league anymore," Ryan Baer said about Donald earlier this year.

Donald, who retired from the NFL following a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Fame career, is known for his generosity in giving back to the university. He's perhaps best known for his dominance in the NFL, but he dominated with the Panthers first.

He recorded 181 tackles (115 solo), 66 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and 10 pass breakups during his Pitt career - putting together one of the most dominant defensive performances in recent memory as a senior.

He recorded 59 tackles (43 solo), 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and three pass breakups on the way to earning unanimous All-American honors and a plethora of individual awards — including Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik, Lombardi and Outland honors.

Donald was selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the then St. Louis Rams following that stellar senior campaign.

And in 10 NFL seasons, earning 10 Pro Bowl nods and eight first-team All-Pro nods, he emerged as not just one of the best defenders of his era but in all of NFL history.

Donald is one of the just three players in NFL history to win Defensive Player of the Year three times, and the only interior defensive lineman to do so, and he did it all at 6-foot, 280 pounds. He finished his NFL career with 543 tackles (340 solo), 176 tackles for loss, 111 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and 21 pass breakups.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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