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The first 2024-2025 College Football Playoff episode of ESPN's College GameDay with feature a unique guest. On Friday, just hours before the playoffs begin with Notre Dame and Indiana, 37-year-old comedian Shane Gillis will appear as the show's guest picker.
Gillis, a known Notre Dame fan, has been on the show before. He appeared on the Week 1 edition of College GameDay when the Fighting Irish traveled to College Station to face Texas A&M.
While he is known for his comedy, Gillis' football background is less publicized. The 6-foot-4 Pennsylvania native originally committed to Army West Point in 2006 as an offensive tackle but left the program before completing one year. He then transferred to Elon before finishing his college days at West Chester University.
The popular podcaster and ‘Tires' star has openly admitted that he previously dreamed of becoming a college football and eventual NFL player before quickly realizing that he did not own the physical abilities to do so. Instead, he took up comedy shortly after receiving his degree, a decision that has unmistakably panned out.
Shane Gillis' first appearance as guest picker on College GameDay
Notre Dame will likely be glad to hear of Gillis' presence on the show, given how it worked out for the first time around. On his inaugural appearance as a guest picker, the Fighting Irish would go on to defeat Texas A&M 23-13 to get their season off on the right foot.
Clips of Gillis from the show have gone viral on social media and YouTube. One particular clip of a Texas A&M student nailing a field goal kick on the show to win $50,000 garnered nearly 200,000 views on ESPN's YouTube channel.
Gillis's appearance as a guest picker resulted in one of College GameDay's most successful episodes of 2024. He was eventually surpassed by a handful of other celebrities who graced the show, including Timothée Chalamet, who impressed fans with his accurate picks.
