Kirk Herbstreit addresses Lee Corso's health

College GameDay wouldn’t be what it is today if not for Lee Corso. One of the members of the first-ever crew in 1987, Corso is still there regularly as the only person from that original group still on the show.

As he prepares to enter his 36th season on GameDay, Corso is getting up there in age. He recently turned 88 on Aug. 7 and there’s been a question of how much longer he’ll be able to continue to do the job, which requires traveling all over the country.

Corso had a stroke back in 2009 but pushed forward to continue doing the despite trouble speaking. As he gets older, however, his health has become more of a concern, causing him to miss five shows this past season.

Still, Corso is back again in 2023 to continue doing what he loves. His co-host, Kirk Herbstreit, opened up on what it’s been like to watch his passion for the job and determination to keep going.

“He had a stroke about 12 or 13 years ago and really couldn’t speak,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “We all wondered, ‘is he gonna be OK?’ and he was determined with his speech therapist. If you ever know of anybody who’s had a stroke, that’s sometimes very hard to overcome and he still is working on that to this day. So it’s not just that he’s 88. It’s that he had a stroke. He’s worked very hard to get his words out and God bless him for having that wherewithal and that passion to love this game so much to keep trying to go.”

Corso started a tradition in 1996 that has come to be one of the most anticipated segments on College GameDay. Near the end of the show, he will make his prediction for the featured game by donning the mascot head for the team whom he picks to win.

More than that, he provides an energy to the program that keeps fans entertained, including his famous catchphrase, “Not so fast, my friend!” Herbstreit compared that to watch Charles Barkley brings to TNT’s Inside the NBA, saying that he simply can’t imagine what the show would look like without Corso.

“Just like Charles Barkley is to the TNT show, Lee has been that for us,” Herbstreit said. “I feel like to do good, quality studio television, not everybody can be the same. You need people who bring something a little bit different to the show. Lee was kind of that guy like Charles is to that show. As time has gone on, Lee’s getting older. I’ve always thought about, ‘what are we gonna do without Lee? How is our show gonna be a show without Lee?'”

For now, however, Corso will continue to take his place at the desk with Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and McAfee. As always, he’ll look to continue to provide analysis as a former coach mixed in with the entertaining qualities we’ve all come to enjoy.