Lee Corso Off ‘College GameDay’ Saturday With Illness

Lee Corso wasn’t at the desk for that start of Saturday’s College Gameday show at Clemson, sparking some concern from fans of the beloved analyst and former coach. 

However, the 87-year-old’s peers reassured viewers that he’s doing just fine. 

Host Rece Davis revealed early in Saturday’s show that Corso woke up in the morning feeling “a little bit” under the weather. The rest of the crew made sure that he got checked out and he’s already feeling better. 

“He’s feeling much better now, we’re happy to report,” Davis said. “Also happy to say that at one point, he told the doctors ‘Yeah, I feel this way because I said Clemson was overrated.’”

Kirk Herbstreit added: “He’s like ‘I’m never gonna talk bad about Clemson again.’ He’s in his typical Lee Corso sense of humor this morning.”

Desmond Howard also weighed in: “100%, we’re gonna miss him. His spirit is with us though.”

Play-by-play man Chris Fowler gave an update on Corso early in the afternoon, sharing that he spoke with the former coach on the phone. He explained that Corso underwent some tests but is feeling fine and is in “good spirits.”

“He was making jokes on the phone. It bothered him not to be able to be there and make the headgear pick,” Fowler said. “But he did the right thing. 

“Lee values his privacy. He’s turned off his phone, but he wants everyone to know how much he appreciates their positive energy and the well-wishers.”

Corso, a former coach at Louisville (1969–72) and Indiana (1973–82), has been at ESPN since 1987. His tradition of donning mascot headgear for his predicted winner at the site of the weekly pregame show has become a staple of College Gameday for nearly the last three decades. 

Though Corso won’t be on hand Saturday, the rest the crew will be present for No. 5 Clemson’s game against No. 10 NC State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. 

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