Utah football legend revealed as guest picker for ESPN 'College GameDay' pregame show

Utah's set to host ESPN's college football pregame show ahead of bout vs. Cincinnati

The ESPN College Gameday crew, from left, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit, prepares to broadcast from the field. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN's College GameDay is headed to Salt Lake City for Saturday’s Big 12 showdown between Utah and Cincinnati.

Accompanying Rece Davis and panelists Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee on the pregame set will be former Utes quarterback Alex Smith, who was revealed to be the guest picker for Saturday’s show on Thursday.

GameDay will be live from President's Circle on the campus of the University of Utah from 7-10 a.m. MT, during which Smith and the crew will make their picks for the Week 10 slate.

Smith was center stage for GameDay's first visit to Salt Lake City in 2004, when ESPN's premier college football pregame show was in town to see Utah advance to 11-0 on the season with a 52-21 win over in-state rival BYU. Smith tossed a pair of interceptions but still managed to complete 66.7% of his passes for 184 yards and a touchdown, helping the Utes spoil the Cougars' chances of becoming bowl-eligible.

Five months later, the San Francisco 49ers selected Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, beginning a 16-year professional career that saw him earn three Pro Bowl nods and finish in the top-35 all-time in career passing yards (35,650). He also threw 199 touchdown passes during his time with San Francisco (2005-12), Kansas City (2013-17) and Washington (2018-20). Smith earned the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after returning to the field from a gruesome leg injury that almost took his life.

Smith went from the field to the desk following his playing career, joining ESPN in 2021 as an NFL analyst. He selectively appeared on Monday Night Countdown before making a move to the network's Sunday NFL Countdown show in 2023.

Roughly two decades after his collegiate career ended, Smith still ranks near the top of several career statistical categories in the Utes' record book, including the highest mark for career passing efficiency (164.42) and yards per pass completion (13.38). He's also second in career completion percentage (66.3%) and fourth in quarterback wins (21).

In 2024, Smith became the first player to be inducted into Utah's Ring of Honor. He also received a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame that same year.

The first gridiron meeting between Utah (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) and Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) is set for 8:15 p.m. MT. on ESPN.