College Football HQ

‘College GameDay’ announces celebrity guest picker for SEC Championship game

Rowan Fisher Shotton|
ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis and analyst Pat McAfee laugh during the live broadcast on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock, Texas.
ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis and analyst Pat McAfee laugh during the live broadcast on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock, Texas. | Mateo Rosiles/ Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Georgia BulldogsAlabama Crimson Tide

ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from the Dr Pepper SEC FanFare at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, from 9 a.m. to noon ET on Saturday ahead of the SEC Championship between No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama.

The game has drawn plenty of attention, but Friday brought an intriguing subplot to SEC title weekend: GameDay revealed that veteran broadcaster and Georgia alum Ernie Johnson will be its celebrity guest picker.

The guest-picker segment on GameDay is a short ritual, a few minutes of selections that frequently spark viral clips, featuring prominent names from across sports and entertainment.

This season alone has featured Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (Lubbock/Texas Tech appearance), former Heisman QB Marcus Mariota (Oregon), WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon return), and country music star Jelly Roll (Athens earlier this year).

A University of Georgia journalism graduate, Johnson built a decades-long career at Turner and is best known as the measured, steady host of "Inside the NBA" alongside Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal. 

He’s a six-time Sports Emmy winner, the 2021 National Sportscaster of the Year, a 2023 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest studio hosts in sports television history.

TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr.
Cleveland, Ohio, USA; TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr. after the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

On the field, Georgia and Alabama meet in a rematch of Alabama’s 24-21 road win earlier this season, with major College Football Playoff implications at stake.

Georgia enters 11-1 and sits No. 3 in the penultimate CFP rankings; Alabama is 10-2 and No. 9. 

A Georgia win would very likely lock the Bulldogs into the top four and earn a first-round bye in the expanded 12-team CFP field, while a Tide victory would almost certainly punch Alabama’s ticket and could vault them into contention for a bye depending on other championship results. 

Georgia seeks a fifth straight SEC title appearance and to avenge its lone loss; Alabama hopes to flip the script and secure the resume boost of a conference crown. 

The CFP selection committee releases the final bracket on Sunday (Selection Day), so whatever happens in Atlanta will determine who hosts first-round games and who earns byes.

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Rowan Fisher
ROWAN FISHER SHOTTON

Rowan Fisher-Shotton is a versatile journalist known for sharp analysis, player-driven storytelling, and quick-turn coverage across CFB, CBB, the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. A Wilfrid Laurier alum and lifelong athlete, he’s written for FanSided, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and Newsweek, tackling every beat with both a reporter’s edge and a player’s eye.

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