Corso has worn 69 different schools’ mascot headgear and has dressed up as Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish leprechaun, the Stanford tree, and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. However, Brutus remains Corso’s first love, wearing it 45 times.
“When we looked at the schedule, the obvious place was to try to go to Tallahassee, where he played (at Florida State), but this game is so big. The fact that it’s a noon game. It became a no-brainer to have it here,” Herbstreit said. “It is very kind of storybook. The fact that we started with this and and end it here in Columbus.”
Corso has a 66.5% winning rate on his headgear predictions (286-144), which is much better than his 73-85-6 mark in 15 years as a coach at Louisville, Indiana, and Northern Illinois.
His final headgear pick will be on the field at Ohio Stadium. Besides airing across all of ESPN’s networks, Fox Sports may show part of it. The final hour of both pregame shows will also take place in the Horseshoe.
Tom Rinaldi and Chris Fallica — former GameDay crew members now with Fox Sports — are also expected to give their thoughts on Corso’s retirement.
“Now that his career, obviously coaching but now as a broadcaster, is ending, you look back on the impact that you made. And he certainly made a major impact on a lot of people,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “For him to be here for his last mascot game in his last year means a lot to all of us.”
When GameDay started, Corso was the analytical one known for hot takes, while the late Beano Cook was the funny one who made game predictions a production.
The show took place at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, until it went on the road for the first time in 1993, before Notre Dame hosted Florida State in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. The show has been on the road regularly since 1995.
Chris Fowler was the host from 1990 through 2014 before Davis took over. Besides Herbstreit, Desmond Howard has been with the show since 2006, Pat McAfee joined in 2022, and Nick Saban last year after retiring from Alabama.
Fowler, who will call Saturday night’s game between No. 9 LSU and fourth-ranked Clemson, will also be a part of the GameDay crew on Saturday.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the beauty of Corso and “College GameDay” is that they allow fans to experience the flavor of being at a game at Texas or Alabama on television.
“Coach Corso was able to bring the aspect of a coach and a very analytical approach to the games being played, but then the entertainment and doing the headgear at the end of every show,” Sarkesian said. “I know that was something we all used to look forward to. What was he going to do? Like that was going to determine who would win the game or not, but that was the beauty of the show, getting people excited about every Saturday for college football.”
GameDay producer Jim Gaiero thinks Corso may still have a surprise or two for Saturday. No one would be surprised if he led on that he was picking with Ohio State and ended up going with Texas.
But even though Corso will no longer be a part of Saturday mornings for college football fans, his impact will continue to be felt.
His ability to bring entertainment to a preview show helped get away from seriousness. You can be outrageous and still do your job, but you can still have fun,” Gaiero said. “I think other shows have tried to do that, even political shows.”
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