Legendary Lee Corso to retire, final headgear pick must be Syracuse football vs. Vols

My entire life, college football and college basketball have been my two favorite sports. Always have been. Always will be.

Naturally, my alma mater, Syracuse University, is unbelievably near and dear to my heart. And even when the Orange struggled in football or basketball, I've still loved following those two sports with a ton of excitement and passion.

I could go on and on about the numerous play-by-play announcers, analysts and other broadcasting personalities whom I adore, many of whom are SU alums, too. At the top of my list, though, is ESPN's legendary broadcaster Lee Corso.

Word came out this week, via this press release and other media reports, that Corso, who turns 90 in August and has been a part of ESPN's widely popular College GameDay pregame show since its inception back in 1987, is retiring.

I'm sad that Lee is retiring. I figured it would come soon. It's been an honor and a privilege to have watched so many episodes of College GameDay over the years where Corso has made his hugely famous and fun headgear picks.

I'd love to see Lee Corso's final headgear pick be Syracuse football versus Tennessee.

ESPN said in its announcement that Corso's final headgear pick on College GameDay will come on Saturday, Aug. 30, and the destination will be announced at a later date this spring. ESPN also says it will have special programming to celebrate Corso's career in the days leading up to August 30.

Okay, so there are a bunch of high-quality games scheduled for August 30. And I'm a readily acknowledged homer. Nothing would make me more elated than to see College GameDay in Atlanta on that day, as Syracuse football opens its 2025 season with a neutral-site, non-conference battle against Southeastern Conference member Tennessee.

It's been well-documented by me and others that College GameDay has never hosted its show on the Hill for a college football game. So even if College GameDay heads to Atlanta for the Orange versus the Volunteers, that unfortunate omission in Central New York would remain.

However, it would still prove magical to see this immensely popular program on-site for Syracuse football against the Vols. I have a personal connection, too, because my son loves Tennessee and likes the 'Cuse (I've failed as a father).

Per this blog, Corso appears to have made a couple of headgear picks over the decades involving the Orange. According to ESPN, since College GameDay first aired in 1987, he has made 430 all-time mascot headgear selections while sporting a record of 286-144, which is pretty darn good.

I admit it's unlikely that College GameDay will reside in Atlanta on August 30. Either way, I want to congratulate Lee Corso on an amazing, iconic career. Even if it's not an official headgear selection, I hope that he picks Syracuse football to knock off the Vols. And I hope that Corso is right.

Much love, Lee.