College GameDay returns to ESPN for the 2024 NCAA Division I college football season behind an accomplished cast of announcers and commentators.
First brought to ESPN in 1987, College GameDay gives sports fans top-level insight and preparation ahead of each week of the FBS college football season. This show is unique for going on the road each week, having already made stops in Michigan, Oklahoma, and even Ireland for the 2024 season.
The 2024 college football season began the weekend of August 24, and College GameDay will help cover every weekend of action into early 2025.
ESPN's 2024 Cast for College GameDay
Rece Davis
Rece Davis has worked as College GameDay's host since 2015 as part of a long career at ESPN.
Davis started with the network in 1995 and has hosted shows covering the NBA, college basketball, college football, FIFA, and horse racing for the better part of 29 years. He has also taken on duties as the host of SportsCenter through most of the 2000s.
- X: @ReceDavis
- Instagram: @recedavis
- Wikipedia: Rece Davis
- IMDb: Rece Davis
Lee Corso
The 89-year-old Lee Corso has become one of the biggest names in college football commentary since starting his run on College GameDay in 1987.
Prior to TV, Corso worked as a college football coach, leading programs at the University of Louisville, Indiana University Bloomington, and Northern Illinois University for 15 years. He is known for his use of school mascots' headgear, which he wears when he picks who he thinks will win each week's biggest games.
Sadly, Corso suffered a stroke in 2009, but he was able to return to his GameDay duties for the 2009 season. Since then, all of his appearances have been scripted and rehearsed prior to airing, and he no longer improvises the way he used to.
Kirk Herbstreit
Five-time Sports Emmy Award winner Kirk Herbstreit has worked at ESPN since 1996 as an analyst and host. He previously played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1989 to 1993.
Along with his work on GameDay as an analyst, he has covered the NFL Draft and announced Monday Night Football games for the NFL.
Herbstreit is also a regular with the cast of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video, serving as the color commentator alongside lead voice Al Michaels.
- X: @KirkHerbstreit
- Instagram: @kirkherbstreit
- Wikipedia: Kirk Herbstreit
- IMDb: Kirk Herbstreit
Nick Saban
Nick Saban is perhaps best known as one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football. He won seven national titles (the most in history), including one with the Louisiana State University Tigers (2003) and six with the Alabama Crimson Tide between 2009 and 2020.
Saban was also voted the Southeastern Conference Football (SEC) Coach of the Year on five separate occasions between 2003 and 2020. He finished his coaching career with a record of 292 wins, 71 losses, and one tie.
After leaving Alabama in 2023, he made various TV appearances that year before ESPN hired him as an analyst for College GameDay in 2024. He also contributes to coverage for the NFL Draft and SEC Media Days.
- X: @sabanfaux
- Wikipedia: Nick Saban
- IMDb: Nick Saban
Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard is an accomplished college and pro football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for 11 NFL seasons with five teams. He was also the Heisman Trophy (college football's top award) winner at the University of Michigan and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
After being selected fourth overall by the Washington Redskins in 1992, he made the NFL's First-team All-Pro in 1996 and the Pro Bowl in 2000, holding multiple NFL records. He was also a Super Bowl Champion in Super Bowl XXXI with the Green Bay Packers and was named the Super Bowl MVP.
Howard has worked on College GameDay since 2005, traveling with the crew to marquee matchup locations throughout the season for nearly 20 years. He also spent a year calling games for the NFL on Fox.
- X: @DesmondHoward
- Instagram: @desmondhoward
- Wikipedia: Desmond Howard
Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee first took the football spotlight with a seven-year career in the NFL, only playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He made two Pro Bowl appearances in 2014 and 2016 and was named to the NFL First-team All-Pro in 2014, finishing his career with the NFL record for highest career net average punting yards (41.1).
After retiring, he worked as a football analyst and host for Fox Sports' college and NFL broadcasts in 2018. He then signed with ESPN in 2019 as part of the Thursday Night College Football show and makes regular appearances on Get Up!.
In addition to his work as an analyst on College GameDay, he licenses his own show, The Pat McAfee Show, to ESPN, which simulcasts the show on ESPN+ and YouTube.
- X: @PatMcAfeeShow
- Instagram: @patmcafeeshow
- Wikipedia: Pat McAfee
- IMDb: Pat McAfee
Pete Thamel
Pete Thamel first took on a role with ESPN as an analyst in 2022 before recently joining the College GameDay crew.
Previously, Thamel spent time working with the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo Sports covering college football, college basketball, and the NFL.
- X: @PeteThamel
- Instagram: @petethamel
- Wikipedia: Pete Thamel
- IMDb: Pete Thamel
Jen Lada
Jen Lada began her work at ESPN in 2015 as a contributor before moving on to host her own shows on TV and radio.
She has had longtime positions on College GameDay and College Football Live while appearing as a guest on other programs like Get Up! and SportsCenter.
Jess Sims
Jess Sims signed with ESPN in 2022 to work with the ESPN College GameDay program before joining ESPN Saturday Primetime games coverage of men's college basketball in 2023. She would then work as a sideline reporter for the 2023-24 season.
On top of her work at ESPN, Sims also has a job as a contributor for Good Morning America.
Prior to her work in the college football space, Sims worked as a Peloton instructor, with an emphasis on running and strength training.
- X: @jess_sims
- Instagram: @jesssims
- Wikipedia: Jess Sims
- IMDb: Jess Sims
College GameDay airs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU.
Read more about the NFL's pre and postgame programming below:
Sunday Night Football's Announcing Team for NBC's NFL Coverage
