Nick Saban makes honest confession about missing Lee Corso after decision to retire from game day

Lee Corso's decision to retire signifies the end of an era for ESPN's College GameDay. The veteran analyst has been tied to the program since its inaugural season (1987). His headgear pick to select his favorite for the game being played at the show's location has become a true tradition of college football.

Now, given his decision to retire from the show after almost four decades, the media wants to get the reaction from his current co-workers. One of those happens to be former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who joined the cast for the 2024 season.

"Lee Corso is a phenomenal person, a real professional," Saban told Rick Burgess on Tuesday. "He's been part of the show and the tradition of the show for 20-something years. We're all going to miss him, but you know, I think that it was his 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. Has been great for a lot of fans for a lot of years, and I think the tradition of him... Putting that head mask on at the end of ... every show is something that everybody looked forward to." (1:05)

When further asked if the headgear pick was going to be his job now, Saban jokingly said that he hoped it wouldn't be.

Why did Lee Corso retire from College GameDay?

On April 17, Lee Corso released the following statement announcing his retirement from College GameDay.

"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 statement released by ESPN. "I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement."

The decision comes following several seasons of what some fans claimed were struggling performances by the octogenarian. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his last few years on the show, one thing is certain: Lee Corso became a legend of the game.

About the author

Andres is an analyst who has reported on college basketball and college football at Sportskeeda since 2023. Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law from Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, and has minor in International Relations. Andres holds a college certificate in Sports Entities Management from Unisport Management School in Spain. He is also an alumnus of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management by FIFA and Universidad Metropolitana, and has been accepted into the Harvard CORe online program for which he was awarded a grant.

Given his background in sports management, law and business, Andres loves any chance to jump into the industry side of things and explain what's happening behind the curtain. He takes care when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff and ensures he refers only to appropriate and respected sources.

His favorite college team is the Arkansas Razorbacks. While Troy Aikman and Joe Montana are two of his most favorite QBs, he is also an admirer of Joe Burrow's style and is rooting for Riley Leonard to do well.

Andres is an avid reader, likes adventure sports, dabbles in rock climbing, and is also a scuba diver. He is also an enthusiastic gamer, especially when it comes to strategy PC titles and loves his fair share of Halo.

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Edited by Krutik Jain