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Florida State band pays tribute to Lee Corso at halftime vs. Alabama

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz08/30/25NickSchultz_7
Lee Corso
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the Florida State marching band took the field at halftime on Saturday against Alabama, it had a special plan to honor one of its own. The band paid tribute to FSU great Lee Corso.

Corso, of course, made his final headgear pick on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday and will now head off to retirement. It’s also worth noting he was the only one on the desk to pick Florida State to defeat Alabama on Saturday, and the Seminoles took a 17-7 lead into halftime.

With that 10-point lead, FSU’s band spelled out Corso’s name on the field. It was quite the way to honor one of the program’s all-time greats.

After a coaching career that spanned more than 25 years – one which started in Tallahassee – Corso pivoted to television. It turns out, he’d perhaps make even more of an impact on the set of College GameDay, where he began putting on the headgear with his predictions in 1996.

That day, Corso put on Brutus, the mascot for Ohio State. It was only fitting that he did so again Saturday during his final program, which was also in Columbus. With the Buckeyes’ win over No. 1 Texas, Corso finished his television career with a 287-144 record with his picks.

Corso’s impact is felt across the college football world. To fellow panelist Nick Saban, it’s hard to describe just how much he’s done for the sport.

“The one thing I think Lee Corso did – and he did it with such grace – is he brought entertainment to this business,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “We used to just watch games, and people would call the game. But he made it entertaining, which is what you do and what we all have an opportunity to do for the fans. He made it better for the fans. It was more enjoyable. He’s got a great personality.

“I still remember when I was playing at Kent State. We had Jack Lambert, and we played his Louisville team. They had Howard Stevens, Tom Jackson, and all these guys — a really, really good team — and they beat the shit out of us. So I know him from the coach’s side, too. I played against him, and I saw what he did at Indiana. We faced them when I was here at Ohio State as well. But what he did for the entertainment side of this business, to me, is his greatest contribution to college sports. I don’t think people fully realize the value of that.”