Nick Saban's daughter, Kristen, has 1-word reaction to CFB legend Lee Corso being greeted at ESPYs with USC band

Lee Corso was honored at the 2025 ESPYs, the annual award by ESPN that celebrates individual and team athletic success, on Wednesday night. The long-term College GameDay analyst was celebrated for his four decades of dedication to the college football pregame show.

Corso is set to retire from the show next month, a few weeks after his 90th birthday. While on the stage at the Dolby Theatre, the ESPYs had a special way to celebrate him as the USC marching band and cheerleaders came on stage to greet Corso with an exciting performance.

The moment at the award was a heartfelt one for many and generated reactions from fans on social media. One of the notable people who reacted on Instagram was Nick Saban's daughter, Kristen, who praised the legacy of Lee Corso.

“Legendary,” Kristen wrote.

Instagram comment

Corso himself had a lot of appreciation for ESPN at the event. The former college football coach, who became a renowned analyst, thanked the network for the opportunities he had on the show.

“I want to thank ESPN for this tribute and opportunity to do a job that I’ve loved for 38 years. My goal on TV was to bring a smile to everybody’s face. I hope I’ve done that,” Corso said.

“My wife, Betsy, and I have been married for 69 years. And I just wanted to thank her for loving me and allowing me to love her for all of those years. Thank you very much, ESPN, for this honor (and) tribute, and I appreciate everybody here.”

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Kirk Herbstreit pays tribute to Lee Corso

Kirk Herbstreit, the longest-serving College GameDay crew member after Lee Corso, shared a heartfelt tribute to Corso at the ESPYs, emphasizing that he's irreplaceable and that his contributions to College GameDay will always be cherished.

"I feel like I've had the best seat really in all in college football for these last 30 years, right next to Coach, right before he'd pull that headgear out or say something that nobody else would say," Herbstreit said on stage with fellow GameDay crew Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee.

”There's so many lessons and such a special bond that I'm so lucky to share with one of the great spirits and great minds that college football has ever seen."

Lee Corso ends his long stint on GameDay in Week 1 of the 2025 season. That edition of the show will take place in Columbus, where Ohio State is scheduled to host Texas. Corso started his headgear selection in Columbus in 1996, so it's a perfect venue for a send-off.