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College football icon Lee Corso to be honored at Florida State-Miami

Lee Corso is expected to return to Tallahassee to be honored when No. 8 Florida State hosts No. 2 Miami on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Patrick Previty|
Lee Corso
Lee Corso | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida State is bringing one of its most beloved icons home for a primetime moment. Lee Corso — the "Sunshine Scooter", Seminoles Hall of Famer and the face of ESPN's "College GameDay" for nearly four decades — is expected to return to Tallahassee to be honored when No. 8 Florida State hosts No. 2 Miami on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Corso's visit is part of a long-planned reunion of "Nugent's Boys," the 1950s-era Seminoles who played for head coach Tom Nugent. Corso has committed to attending and Florida State also plans to recognize him during the rivalry game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

This homecoming follows Corso's formal farewell from television. He retired from GameDay after an unparalleled run that began in 1987, with his final headgear pick coming during the Week 1 broadcast in Columbus.

Before he became America's most charming picker, Corso was a do-everything athlete in garnet and gold. He played quarterback and cornerback from 1953–56, led the team in interceptions in 1954, rushing in 1955 and passing in 1956, and set a then-school record with 14 career interceptions. He was inducted into FSU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and later served on staff as a graduate assistant.

Florida State-Miami is one of the sport's most interesting rivalries, and the 2025 installment might just have top-10 stakes if the Seminoles can take care of Virginia first. Miami, fresh off wins over Notre Dame, USF and Florida, is on a bye in Week 5 and Florida State visits Virginia on Friday before returning home.

Corso long said he wanted to come back once the grind of weekly TV ended. With "Nugent's Boys" gathering the night before and Miami on the opposite sideline, the weekend offers a living bridge from his playing days to the present. Florida State now gets a chance to say thank you under the lights.

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Patrick Previty
PATRICK PREVITY

In addition to writing for On SI, Patrick is also a site expert for Canes Warning and has previously written for outlets such as Betsided, Orlando Magic Daily and Southbound and Down. He serves as a sideline reporter for ESPN+, covering UCF athletics and the Big 12 Conference. In 2024, he hosted a live, on-site UCF football pregame show that aired on ESPN+. Patrick has interviewed numerous figures in the college sports world, ranging from players to UCF’s athletic director. Recently, he traveled to Mobile, Ala., to cover the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he spoke with multiple NFL Draft prospects. Patrick also hosts coverage of the Orlando Magic for Digest Media on YouTube and has become one of the leading voices on the team in the region. Patrick also helps run the social media department for The Voice of College Football Network, focusing on breaking news and digital storytelling. Patrick previously spent time at CNN in the sports department, where he assisted with CNN’s World Sport show and Bleacher Report updates for morning programming. Hailing from the Tampa Bay Area, Patrick is a lifelong fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlando Magic and UCF Knights.

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