Rece Davis used strong words to describe Lee Corso before final College GameDay

Saturdays will look differently this fall, for the most part, after college football legend Lee Corso dons the head gear for the final time in his historic broadcasting career.

The Indiana Hall of Fame head coach and former Florida State star is hanging it up this year after serving as a mainstay on ESPN's premier college football pregame show "College GameDay" for nearly 30 years.

Despite suffering a stroke in 2009 that impaired his speech, Corso has continued his career up until the 2025 season, making the majority of the "College GameDay" on-campus stops along the way.

Corso has been a significant influence on long time host Rece Davis, who has facilitated conversations between Corso and analysts like Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, David Pollack, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban over the years.

"He is the pure embodiment of the spirit and the passion and the thing that makes Saturdays special," Davis said in a "College GameDay Built by Lee Corso" tribute.

"What role did Lee Corso have in building "College GameDay?" He's the cornerstone, the foundation, the conscience and the soul of the entire thing."

"An icon, a mentor, and one of the best teammates I’ll ever have," Davis wrote on X. Thank you, Coach! Your legacy will always be part of "College GameDay."

An icon, a mentor, and one of the best teammates I’ll ever have. Thank you, Coach! Your legacy will always be part of @CollegeGameDay. #HomeDepotPartner pic.twitter.com/stmtcHRH7g
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) August 27, 2025

The 90-year-old's final show will air from the site of Ohio State-Texas on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET. Ahead of the monumental occasion, ESPN aired a one-hour tribute titled "Not so fast, my friend: A Lee Corso Special," which will re-air at 8 a.m. ET ahead of his final show.