Stephen A. Smith Announces He Is Guest Picker for College GameDay

Stephen A. Smith—an already ubiquitous force on ESPN’s air waves—is about to appear on yet another major property for the network on Saturday morning. The First Take personality posted a video to Twitter announcing that he will serve as Saturday’s College GameDay guest picker for the show at Jackson State.

ESPN is on hand for a major HBCU rivalry clash between Deion Sanders’s undefeated JSU squad and Southern (5–2). The game, known as the BoomBox Classic, dates back to 1958 and pits two SWAC powers against one another.

“Guess who the celebrity game picker is this week for College GameDay? That would happen to be me,” Smith said after stepping out of a car in the video before boarding a jet. 

“Yes, I’m heading to Jackson, Mississippi. I’m heading there to see my man Prime Time and the rest of the crew. GameDay crew, I’m coming y’all, I promise you I’ll be there.”

Smith, a New York native, is an interesting pick for the game, though he is the network’s most prominent personality to attend an HBCU. He played point guard at Winston-Salem State from 1987–91 before launching his career in journalism.

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As Smith is set to appear on the show, it will be without its own iconic figure. Lee Corso, who has dealt with health issues throughout the fall, will not be on the program. He missed multiple weeks of the show earlier this year, and on Friday, ESPN announced that Corso would not be in Jackson on Saturday.

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For more HBCU coverage, go to HBCU Legends.