Lee Corso honored by Florida State prior to Saturday night's game against Miami

Prior to its monstrous clash against in-state rival Miami Saturday night, Florida State honored Lee Corso pregame. He attended the game for a ‘Nugent’s Boys’ reunion of former Seminoles who played under football coach Tom Nugent from 1953-58.

Before Saturday night’s festivities, Corso also visited the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee. There, he received the Medal of Freedom from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his lifetime contributions to the game of football and beyond.

Lee Corso is honored at Florida State.

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit offer commentary on their friend during the Miami-Florida State broadcast for ESPN on ABC. 🏈🎙️ #CFB pic.twitter.com/vWnW0AawaC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 5, 2025

While his illustrious coaching career across Louisville and Indiana was legendary, Corso became forever memorable for his role on ESPN’s College GameDay. There, the head coach spent 38 years spouting iconic catchphrases and making his picks for the day’s biggest games. His shows were always concluded by donning the headgear of the team he picked to win in the game that took place at the location of that week’s GameDay.

After 38 years, he finally retired earlier this season. He made his final headgear selection at Week 1’s clash between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus. Of course, Corso rode with the Buckeyes. The ‘Brutus Buckeye’ headgear was the first he ever donned when he began the tradition in 1996.

Corso participated in final GameDay appearance earlier this season

Corso’s final show averaged 3.5 million viewers across ESPN and ESPNU. That made it the most-watched episode of College GameDay in the program’s storied history. Viewership also peaked at 5.1 million viewers in the final quarter hour, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. Full ratings and viewership data will be available Wednesday.

“This is one of the easiest picks I’ve ever made,” Corso said as the stadium speakers relayed his final selection. “Texas is loaded. … They have a Manning at quarterback. Poor Ohio State. They ain’t got a chance. Give me my first love.”

It was only fitting that for his final appearance, Corso put that mascot head on one final time. He picked the Buckeyes to take down Texas in the high-profile Top-5 matchup, and they did just that with a 14-7 victory at The Horseshoe.

That wasn’t the only notable pick for Corso, 90, from his final College GameDay episode. He was the only member of the desk to pick Florida State to defeat Alabama at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles took full control early against the Crimson Tide and didn’t look back, coming away with the 31-17 upset of the No. 8-ranked team in the country.

In fact, every team for which Corso either coached or played won on that opening Saturday. He ended his television career with a 287-144 record following his prediction in the Ohio State vs. Texas game.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.