Nick Saban shoots down possibility of taking over Lee Corso's mascot head tradition on ESPN College GameDay

In just one season, Nick Saban has already become a popular fixture on ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show on Saturday mornings. But as beloved GameDay icon Lee Corso prepares for his final show next season, Saban made it clear he’s not interested in replacing Corso — especially when it comes to his tradition of donning mascot heads.

“Lee Corso’s a phenomenal person, he’s a real professional, has been a part of the show and the tradition of the show for 20-something years. And we’re all going to miss him,” Saban said during a recent appearance on The Rick Burgess Show during last week’s Region Tradition Pro-Am. “I think it was a decision to do that, he’s going to be on one more show with us, which we all look forward to. But just a great guy and great for the game of college football and has been great for a lot of fans for a lot of years. I think the tradition of putting that mascot helmet on at the end of every show is something that everybody looked forward to.”

Just don’t expect the former Alabama coach to adopt that tradition any time soon. Unless, of course, ESPN forces the issue.

“Well, I hope not,” Saban said in response to Burgess asking if that’ll be his “job” moving forward, adding he doesn’t see Saban fitting into that particular role on the show. “I don’t either. But it’s probably not my decision.”

ESPN announces Lee Corso to retire from College GameDay after Week 1 of 2025 season

ESPN announced Lee Corso will officially sign off after a remarkable 38 years on ESPN’s College GameDay during the first show of the 2025 season. Corso will make his farewell on Aug. 30, during Week 1 of the college football season. A location for the episode has yet to be announced.

In addition to the traditional airing of the show, ESPN notes that it will also present special programming celebrating Corso in the days leading up to his final show. Corso turns 90 in August, making his run all the more impressive.

“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years,” Corso said in a press release. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

ESPN has already provided some moving tributes to Corso over the years. During the 2023 season, Lee Corso donned his 400th headgear. He has made a weekly tradition of putting on headgear for whatever team he picks to win the marquee game of the day.

It delights fans. And when he did it for the 400th time, he brought out the waterworks from the rest of the crew on the set. Suffice it to say, Corso will be sorely missed on the show. He’s been a mainstay with college football fans for nearly four decades.

“ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years. They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans…truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful.”

— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.