Lee Corso's last show: Beloved member of 'College GameDay' dons Ohio State headgear one final time in send-off

Here's to you, Lee Corso.

The sprightly statesman of ESPN's "College GameDay" made the final headgear pick of his storied broadcast career Saturday ahead of the Week 1 showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, donning the Brutus Buckeye head one final time.

It's an appropriate send-off for Corso, who debuted on ESPN's popular pre-game show in 1987 while it was an in-studio production and first started his iconic segment in 1996 when he famously put on the Brutus headgear after picking Ohio State to beat Penn State. Corso, 90, has since made 430 headgear selections in all and picked Ohio State 45 times — the most for any school. Corso is 31-14 when siding with the Buckeyes and 6-13 when going against them. 

Led by quarterback Arch Manning, top-ranked Texas is the first preseason No. 1 to be a betting underdog in the season opener. Coming off a national championship last season under Ryan Day, the Buckeyes welcome back a pair of All-American talents, wideout Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.

Corso also picked LSU to win the College Football Playoff this season. The Tigers are led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback and have a key Week 1 game at Clemson. LSU has lost five straight Week 1 games dating back to 2020. 

ESPN announced earlier this summer that the 2025 opener for "College GameDay" would be Corso's last ride. According to the statistics, Nick Saban was Corso's favorite coach to pick against (16) and pick to win (37) over his career.

The 1999 season was Corso's shining star after he went 11-0 with headgear selections.

"My goal on TV was to bring a smile to everybody's face. I hope I have done that," Corso said in July at the ESPYs.

Lee Corso's last show: TV legend to make final 'College GameDay' appearance before Ohio State vs. Texas

Carter Bahns

Corso suffered partial paralysis after a stroke in 2009, and other medical events led to sporadic appearances in recent years. During the 2022 season, Corso missed five shows and has not been featured during the full three-hour block since.

Last season, fellow "GameDay" member Kirk Herbstreit called Corso "a father figure" who took him under his wing during his first season on the show. The two have been extremely close since then. 

"He basically put his arm around, just me, Chris (Fowler) and him," Herbstreit said on "The Mental Game" podcast. "I'll never forget how comfortable (he was). When our relationship changed, 'GameDay' used to do commercials. My life changed from being single to then having [premature] babies. He's a guy who asks you how are you really doing? I would open up and he would listen. My Dad didn't listen real well. [Lee] would listen. Almost like the wisdom he was giving me."

Prior to becoming one of ESPN's lead college football anchors, Corso starred at Florida State as a player before coached 28 years in the collegiate ranks at Louisville, Indiana, Navy and Northern Illinois. He is a Hall of Famer at Florida State, Louisville and Indiana, along with recognition as a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.