Lee Corso absent from ESPN College GameDay for conference championship week

As ESPN brings College GameDay to Atlanta ahead of the SEC Championship Game, the heart of the show is missing from the desk, as Lee Corso is absent.

According to Rece Davis, Corso had a procedure done this week, and while he’s doing well, Corso didn’t make the trip for this weekend’s edition of the show. However, he’s expected to return to the desk during the postseason.

“By the way, our good friend Lee Corso had a procedure this week. He’s doing great. We look forward to getting Lee back during the postseason,” Davis told the audience. “I know he’s watching right now, and he’ll be with us throughout the day.”

While it’s certainly a bit disappointing any time Corso doesn’t join the College GameDay broadcast and make his beloved head-gear selection, it’s understandable whenever he decides to take a step back. Thankfully, as Davis stated, he’s doing great, and could return for some postseason editions of the show.

Moreover, the 89-year-old Corso’s future on the show has been in question over the past week and change. Burke Magnus, ESPN President of Content, received questions about what’s next for Corso while on ‘SI Media with Jimmy Traina’.

The executive said the network will once again speak with him following this season, as they look to determine where he stands with the show moving forward.

“Listen, I think we’re going to do what we’ve done now for a couple of years running which is we’re going to have a conversation with him after the season, see where things are,” said Magnus. “You know, he’s a special guy. I mean, he’s one of the nicest men any of your listeners or anyone on Earth could ever come across. And he’s been absolutely iconic on the show.

“We’re going to get through the playoff this year, let everybody decompress and then we have some time to figure out what we’re going to do for next season.”

This comes after Corso has been absent, whether for several segments at a time or full shows, at points over the last few seasons amidst health issues as well as general decline.

Alas, Corso still opens the show on the panel and ends it with his headgear pick but, all in all, it’s nothing you wouldn’t expect to happen after being on television for 37 years and with someone who will be turning 90 right before kickoff of next season.

Time will tell whether Lee Corso is back with College GameDay in 2025, but he’s going to at least attempt to finish out the postseason and get back to the desk before the end of the 2024 campaign, as he should.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.