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The curtain will fall on one of college football’s most enduring figures this Saturday when Lee Corso makes his final appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” After nearly four decades on set and a lifetime in the sport, Corso will retire following the Week 1 showdown between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus.
For generations of fans, Corso has been the face of Saturday mornings, his signature mascot headgear picks becoming a staple of the sport’s pageantry. ESPN analyst Josh Pate offered a poignant reflection on Corso’s journey, noting the remarkable second act of his career that began after his coaching days ended in the mid-1980s.
Pate described Corso as proof that the best years of a person’s life may still be ahead. “What a lesson Lee Corso is,” Pate said. “For anybody who thinks the best of their life has passed them by, this man ought to be exhibit 1A.”
Josh Pate Praises Corso’s Lasting Impact On College Football
Pate traced Corso’s career from his playing days at Florida State in the 1950s to his long tenure as a coach through 1985. By the mid-1980s, Corso’s career already spanned more than three decades. Yet, as Pate noted, his most impactful years were still to come.
“He’s 52 years old I think in 1987 or thereabouts and gets a shot at TV that’s going to sustain him until 2025,” Pate said. “It is hard to do anything for that period of time, much less be in entertainment on live TV.”
Imagine telling Lee Corso at age 50 that despite having played & coached for 32 years his most impactful 3 decades on football were still to come
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) August 29, 2025
pic.twitter.com/ffpMX8mgRa
Corso joined ESPN in 1987 and became part of “College GameDay” in 1987, moving the show on campus in 1993. Since then, he has been an irreplaceable fixture. His weekly headgear picks became a defining feature of the sport, creating a sense of tradition that younger fans will soon hear about only as history.
“It’s going to be a pretty surreal thing to watch this happen for the last time,” Pate said. “You tell stories just like we will in the future 25, 30 years from now to the younger generation about what Saturday used to be like. And it contained a guy who was an institution.”
Corso’s Final GameDay Appearance Set For Texas-Ohio State
Saturday’s broadcast from outside St. John Arena in Columbus will be Corso’s farewell. Host Rece Davis, who also paid tribute to Corso earlier in the week, and analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban will join Corso at the desk as ESPN celebrates his remarkable career.
The show will set the stage for a marquee matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State. Fans are expected to line up early, with the pit opening at 6:30 a.m. ET for the three-hour broadcast that begins at 9 a.m. ET.
For Corso, the moment will be the closing chapter of a career that redefined how college football is consumed. His ability to blend entertainment with deep-rooted tradition has made him a cultural touchstone for the sport. As Pate observed, future generations will learn of Saturdays that began not just with football, but with Corso’s presence.
The end of Corso’s run marks the conclusion of an era for “College GameDay.” His departure leaves a void that underscores how much he shaped the rhythm of college football’s biggest stage.
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