Saturday brings the start of Week 1, in earnest, in college football. But it also marks the end of an era. Legendary “College GameDay” analyst Lee Corso bids farewell to the ESPN program with his final episode ahead of the marquee noon ET showdown between No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, and with his last appearance on the desk will come his last headgear pick — a staple of Saturday mornings during the fall.
Corso, 90, and ESPN announced in April that the start 2025 season would be his last on the “College GameDay” set. His retirement brings to an end a nearly four-decade run on the preview show after he debuted in 1987. Corso’s personality and catchphrases have been some of the most popular elements of the show throughout its run, but nothing compares to the iconic closing minutes of each episode, when he makes his pick for the biggest game of the day.
Ahead of the 1996 matchup between Ohio State and Penn State, Corso worked with fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit and the Buckeyes’ athletic department to secure the Brutus Buckeye mascot head for the show. When he made his pick for Ohio State to defeat the Nittany Lions, he put on the headgear and waved to the audience in a moment that, without hyperbole, changed college sports entertainment forever.
From that point onward, fans waited anxiously each week to see which team Corso would pick — and how theatrical his performance would be. He has chucked props into the air, fired weaponry, hoisted live animals and made countless memories for college football fans with his legendary headgear picks.
Corso’s final pick comes just ahead of one of the most highly anticipated games of the entire 2025 season. “College GameDay” will be on hand in Columbus, Ohio, for a College Football Playoff semifinal rematch between Ohio State and Texas, which carries immediate postseason implications, welcomes two high-profile quarterbacks to starting roles and will help shape the power dynamic for the rest of the campaign.
Corso’s greatest hits, headgear stats
Corso surpassed his 400th headgear pick during the 2023 season and holds a 286-144 all-time record, good for a .665 win rate. He has picked 69 different teams throughout his career and holds a perfect record when he selects USC (17-0), Virginia Tech (4-0) and North Dakota State (3-0). He logged a perfect 11-0 season in 1999.
Ohio State boasts the most headgear picks with 45, ahead of Alabama’s 38. LSU ranks third with 25, Florida is fourth with 22 and Oregon is fifth at 21. The Buckeyes could extend their lead on Saturday if Corso takes them over the top-ranked Longhorns.
More than 70 different campuses and neutral sites watched Corso dress as a mascot over the years. He and the “College GameDay” crew visited schools in numerous conferences and at both the FBS and FCS levels, showcasing the pageantry of college football at the largest schools and the passion that runs deep at smaller powerhouses and rising forces.
Health struggles lead to Corso’s exit
Health issues did not deter Corso from making his weekly appearances on the “College GameDay” set, but they made things more challenging on the former Florida State player and longtime coach. Corso suffered a stroke in 2009, which impacted his speech and cognitive function. Herbstreit took him under his wing after the stroke and into his final years on the program, cementing a longstanding friendship that spans their 29 years together at the desk.
The COVID-19 pandemic raised new concerns and forced Corso to remain at home and appear on the set virtually. ESPN producers visited his home to create elaborate builds, enabling him to continue to be his entertaining self, but it was not the same without the legendary analyst in his seat on stage.
ESPN featured Corso less often in recent years as his health issues created greater obstacles for the production, but through it all his wit and his ability to captivate an audience remained. The absence of this iconic voice will be a void felt throughout the college football world.
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