Former head coach and longtime analyst Lee Corso is set to make his final appearance on College GameDay on Saturday, August 30. He's finally retiring after working on ESPN's popular morning show since 1987. With his final appearance on the program nearing, longtime co-host Kirk Herbstreit delivered an emotional speech to Corso.
During what appears to be a dinner, Herbsreit had the entire table stand up while he shared a toast in the 90-year-old analyst's honor. It was an emotional message that will likely hit college football fans right in the heartstrings, as the two of them have worked together for nearly 30 years.
“The weekend is gonna be fun. It's the opening weekend of college football, it's Lee Corso's final appearance on College GameDay,” said Kirk Herbstreit. “It's gonna be a blast, we're gonna celebrate this guy, and I think every person in this room, anybody [Corso] has ever worked with, I think what's unique is people see you on with the head gear, and they see all the silly stuff you do, but I think what we see is the smile every Friday meeting.
“Whether you're with the makeup artist, or Reece Davis, everybody in between, [Corso] just lighten everybody up,” continued Kirk Herbstreit. “[You] lifted everybody up. And you've done that, I'm sure as a coach, but our experience with you, for me, the last 30 years, I've never seen you have a bad day. If you have a bad day, you never really show that you're having a bad day. You're always positive, and you're the backbone of what this show has been about. We're gonna celebrate you the way you should be, and I just want to honor you tonight and say you're the man. We love you.”
A toast to Coach Corso pic.twitter.com/mbcR1aVFA8
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 29, 2025
You can catch Lee Corso's final appearance on College GameDay at 9 a.m. EST on ESPN. Kirk Herbstreit and the crew will be on set in Columbus, Ohio, for the Texas Longhorns-Ohio State Buckeyes game. Ohio State was the first program that Corso put on the headgear for back in 1996.
