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Panthers’ Matt Tkachuk makes appearance on ESPN College Gameday

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Tyler Kuehl | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 2:34 PM ET

One of the most recognizable faces in the National Hockey League stepped into a different spotlight.

On Saturday morning, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk appeared on ESPN’s College Gameday, the premier football pregame show in the United States, as the show’s weekly celebrity guest picker.

Tkachuk, who was the first pro hockey player to be a guest on Gameday, was on the panel alongside former NFL stars Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, as well as host Rece Davis, former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit and legendary college football coach Nick Saban, making predictions on a select slate of games. This week’s show was on the campus of the University of Miami, as the Hurricanes are slated to face an in-state rival, the Florida Gators, in one of Week 4’s marquee matchups.

Before joining the desk, the St. Louis native admitted that he did his homework before speaking in front of a national audience.

"I did do homework for the first time since I think ninth grade."

Matthew Tkachuk is ready for his College GameDay debut pic.twitter.com/NbL2unW1Fm
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 20, 2025

“I did do homework for the first time since I think ninth grade,” Tkachuk said. “So, I’m ready to go. I asked around a lot…but at the end of the day, you got to go with your gut, and I like my picks.”

Compared to other celebrities who have joined the panel in the past, Tkachuk really came prepared. Analyzing how each team has played so far, and how things could play out. It was apparent that he studied up on the big games of the day.

Pretty elite reasoning on this pick from Matthew Tkachuk @CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/ELciaaS6tU
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 20, 2025

When it came to the big pick, Tkachuk left no doubt, picking the Hurricanes to take care of the Gators. Not only did he select the hometown team to win, he also repped the team with a Miami hockey sweater with his name on the back.

Matthew Tkachuk gets the Miami crowd fired up on @CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/W77gdYe3jw
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 20, 2025

Tkachuk’s appearance comes as he is still rehabilitating an injury suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. A report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period last month stated that the 27-year-old will miss the start of the 2025-26 regular season and could be out of action until January.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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