Lee Corso Will Retire From 'College GameDay' After Week 1 of 2025 CFB Season

A college football icon will be making one final appearance in Week 1 of the 2025 season.

ESPN announced Thursday that broadcaster Lee Corso's final appearance on its College GameDay pregame show will happen on Saturday, Aug. 30. Corso has been a Saturday morning institution for 38 years and famously ends the pregame show by putting on the mascot headgear of the team he believes will win the marquee matchup of the day.

"My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years," Corso said. "I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.

"ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years. They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans…truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful."

Corso came to ESPN following a 28-year coaching career.

That career included stops as the head coach of Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois in the college ranks and the Orlando Renegades in the USFL.

He then joined ESPN in 1987 and has been with College GameDay since its very first episode. The 89-year-old has become synonymous with the show, and it is difficult to imagine what it will look like without him entertaining the crowd, dancing with mascots, mixing it up with celebrity guest pickers and more.

College GameDay travels to the campus hosting one of the marquee matchups of that given Saturday, and ESPN's announcement explained the Aug. 30 location will be revealed in the spring.

There are some possibilities that would be quite fitting.

Florida State hosts Alabama that day, and Corso is a Florida State alum. College GameDay's first-ever road show was also on Nov. 13, 1993, for a game between Notre Dame and Florida State.

Ohio State also hosts Texas that day, and Corso's first headgear pick was Brutus Buckeye on Oct. 5, 1996. He has also picked the Buckeyes with his headgear selection a record 45 times, so it would be something of a full-circle moment if his final mascot head was the same as his first.

Corso has been a constant in the college football world for decades with catchphrases such as "Not so fast, my friend," enthusiasm for the game and an eagerness to interact with the fans. 

ESPN's announcement said there will be special programming honoring his legacy leading up to the final College GameDay appearance, and the fans will surely be ready to celebrate with him as well on Aug. 30.