“The End of an Era” Coach Corso Honors Ohio State in Final Headgear Selection

Today, college football bid farewell to a piece of its soul as Lee Corso stepped onto the set of ESPN’s College GameDay for the last time. The 90-year-old analyst, a fixture on the show since 1987, wrapped up his legendary run in Columbus, Ohio, right where his famous headgear tradition kicked off on October 5, 1996, with a pick for Ohio State over Penn State.

For close to three decades, he has always appeared the same way, slipping on the Ohio State headgear the last time to pick the Buckeyes over the Longhorns in a matchup that fans have been looking forward to. Happening at Ohio Stadium adds to the significance, the home for the Buckeyes, which always cheered his selection.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day offers him a present with a custom helmet decorated with buckeye leaves, one for each of the 45 times the legend had previously rooted for the team. Throughout his career, he had 430 headgear picks, with 286-144 record for a 66.5% success rate.

Corso’s journey from coaching stints at Louisville and Indiana to becoming the heart of pregame analysis has in many ways shaped how millions experience college football till date.

Texas Longhorn head coach Steve Sarkisian, while addressing the media a few hours ago, applauded the legend, noting that college football would not have been what it’s known to be today without Corso: “We wouldn’t be where we are today, in the state of college football, without you,” Sarkisian stated.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today, in the state of college football without you.”

Steve Sarkisian on what Coach Corso means to college football 🧡 pic.twitter.com/d70L9OTlYS

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 30, 2025

Coach Corso Honors Ohio State in Final Headgear Selection

The graphic shared by recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett on X, which relates his first and last picks, has since gone viral, and got fans reacting:

In Coach Corso’s final headgear pick, he picks the Ohio State Buckeyes

It’s a full circle moment, as he chose Ohio State in his first ever headgear pick back in 1996

Thanks for everything, Coach 🐐 pic.twitter.com/tGFxzEg4KR

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 30, 2025

as a texas fan, i’m happy to see him choose Ohio St… it’s how it should have been.

— Ryan (@ryanmathews) August 30, 2025

As a Texas fan, I wouldn’t want it any other way! Thanks coach! 🤘🏼

— MR WALK IT OFF (@BoSox1123) August 30, 2025

I don’t think he picked it on his own? They just give it to him. 🤷🏽‍♂️ https://t.co/ayRVFwTkip

— Christopher Hollins (@chollins31) August 30, 2025

College GameDay will definitely face challenges in filling the void left by Corso. The show might lean more on emerging voices or tweak its format to keep the energy alive, but replicating his charm won’t be easy in any way.