Adam Cairns/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Lee Corso Receives Ultimate Gift After Final College GameDay

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joe Vitale | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 2:42 PM ET

Lee Corso, 90, just wrapped up the final "College GameDay" of his iconic career with ESPN ahead of the No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State game. After 38 years, Coach has finally signed off, leaving everyone, including me, in a state of disbelief and gratitude.

For his 431st headgear pick, Lee Corso sat before more than 100,000 fans at The Horseshoe and donned the Brutus Buckeye head for the 46th time in his career. He’s picked Ohio State more than any other school, a fitting full-circle moment as Brutus was also the very first headgear he chose back in 1996.

During the final headgear pick, the Ohio State marching band, conveniently named The Ohio State University Marching Band, honored Corso by spelling out his name across the field.

After the show and before the game, Brutus met with Corso to deliver a retirement gift — his very own Brutus mascot head.

Check it out:

"Coach Corso was gifted a Brutus mascot head," wrote College GameDay on X with a teary-eyed emoji.

Coach Corso was gifted a Brutus mascot head pic.twitter.com/nCPtA6kgt5
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 30, 2025

This was Ohio State's 26th time hosting "College GameDay," which is the most of any school in college football.

Most times hosting:

Ohio State — 26
Alabama — 19
Michigan — 15
LSU — 14
Florida — 13

And the Buckeyes have also now made 67 appearances, also the most.

Most all-time appearances:

Ohio State — 67
Alabama — 60
Florida — 42
Oklahoma, Michigan — 41
Georgia, Notre Dame — 40
Florida State, LSU — 36

With Corso stepping into retirement, there’s no doubt a void will be felt on the panel every Saturday. ESPN, likely anticipating this moment, brought in Nick Saban last year, now heading into his second season on the crew. Saban was the biggest name the network could have landed, but he’s not the entertainer Corso is...at least not yet...and probably never will be. The show also added Pat McAfee in 2022 and parted ways with David Pollack in 2023, leaving college football fans still adjusting to the new look of their favorite pregame show.

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

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