Longtime ESPN 'College GameDay' analyst Lee Corso to retire after Week 1 (2025)

Longtime ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso is retiring.

ESPN announced Thursday that the Week 1 edition of “College GameDay” would be Corso’s last for the network. Corso has been a staple of ESPN’s college football coverage for 38 seasons.

“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 in an ESPN statement. “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, 89, will turn 90 before his final show.

The former Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois coach joined the network in 1987 after his coaching career was over. He’s been a part of “GameDay” ever since the show started traveling to different campuses in 1993.

That show was the first time Corso made his headgear prediction. A former Florida State football player who was roommates with Burt Reynolds, Corso put on a Seminoles cap as he picked his alma mater to beat Notre Dame as the show was in South Bend for the famous matchup between FSU and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won that game, but lost the following week. Florida State went on to be declared the AP national champions after beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl weeks after QB Charlie Ward won the Heisman Trophy.

In the years since donning that FSU cap, Corso’s end-of-show predictions for the marquee game of the week got more and more elaborate. He commonly donned the head of a school mascot or appeared with an animal if the school he was picking had a live mascot.

Corso has dealt with health issues in recent years after he suffered a stroke in 2009. He has held a reduced role on the show after the stroke caused him to have issues with his speech. He has also missed various shows in recent years due to other ailments.

As Corso has taken a more limited role on "GameDay," the bond he shared with co-worker Kirk Herbstreit became more and more apparent. The two have worked together on the show for 29 years.

“Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we’re all lucky to have been around to witness it. He has taught me so much throughout our time together, and he’s been like a second father to me,” Herbstreit said. “It has been my absolute honor to have the best seat in the house to watch Coach put on that mascot head each week.”

ESPN's location for Corso's final show — an edition that will be a tribute to his career — is still to be determined, though there seem to be two clear options. Ohio State hosts Texas and Alabama visits Florida State in Week 1. Corso first put a mascot head on in 1996 when he picked Ohio State to win in Columbus and ESPN could choose to return to the site of where Corso made his mascot headgear picks famous. Or the network could go to Tallahassee — a game that ESPN will broadcast — and Corso could wrap up his TV career where his college football career began.