Lee Corso’s 3 best destinations for final ‘College GameDay’ appearance

A college football legend is stepping away from the game.

ESPN announced on Thursday that Lee Corso, the longtime analyst with the network and one of the faces of College GameDay, will be stepping down after one final show, on Saturday, August 30.

For many, Corso was the face of the sport. His tradition of donning headgear to close out each week became the stuff of college football lore, and would light up social media around noon Eastern every college football Saturday.

But with one last ride on the horizon, where should that take place?

It might not be the best matchup on the schedule, but Corso and GameDay heading to Indiana does make a lot of sense.

Part of Corso’s origin story, and his role on College GameDay, is that of “Coach.” Coach Corso spend decades — a lifetime in fact — around the college game.

While his coaching career included many stops, including a stint at Louisville as a head coach, where he coached future ESPN colleague Tom Jackson and led the Cardinals to just their second bowl game in school history, his longest stretch came at Indiana.

Corso coached the Hoosiers for ten seasons, and led Indiana to an 8-4 record and a win in the Holiday Bowl during the 1979 campaign.

Old Dominion against Indiana might not be the biggest matchup on the slate that week, but it is a case of Corso coming home one final time.

Before he was Coach Corso, he was a player.

And a damn good one at that.

Corso was a standout on both sides of the ball during his time at Florida State, as both a defensive back and a quarterback. Corso, who went by the nickname “Sunshine Scooter” on campus, was also a roommate of former Florida State football player, and future actor, Burt Reynolds.

During his time at Florida State he recorded 14 interceptions, which stood as a school record until it was broken over two decades later. He currently sits third on that list now, tied with another coach.

Deion Sanders.

Sending GameDay to Tallahassee would also be a case of Corso coming home, but to where it all began for him.

While his playing and coaching days began elsewhere, the legend of Lee Corso on GameDay began at Ohio State.

Back in October of 1996, College GameDay was in Columbus for a meeting between Penn State and Ohio State. At the end of the show when the crew made their picks, Corso punctuated his by picking up a Brutus head and putting it on, much to the delight of the assembled Buckeyes fans watching live:

That was the first time Corso put on a Brutus head, but certainly not the last. According to Awful Announcing Corso has worn that headgear more than any other, 45 times during his storied run on College GameDay.

It might not be a surprise to see that number increase by one on his final show.

Also, this is a pretty good game, as it is a rematch of a College Football Playoff semifinal, and there is the Arch Manning factor.