Lee Corso has been many things — a college football coach, Burt Reynolds' college roommate and America’s favorite college football lovin’ crazy grandfather on ESPN's College GameDay, where he makes his "headgear picks" each week on location during college football Saturdays.
Corso's 38-year GameDay career full of classic moments saw its final full season in 2024, with a Week 1 game in 2025 his final game before retirement, when Corso ended as he started his headgear picks: Picking Ohio State.
Below, we've also included a history of all of Corso's best moments, all-time record and more from his legendary run on College GameDay.
All-time record
Corso owns a career 286-144 all-time headgear pick record, hitting on 66% of his picks since the tradition started in 1996. He has one undefeated season to his name, going a perfect 11-0 in 1999. His worst season came a few years later in 2002, posting a 4-9 record.
| Year | Record | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4-1 | 80% |
| 1997 | 4-4 | 50% |
| 1998 | 5-4 | 55.56% |
| 1999 | 11-0 | 100% |
| 2000 | 7-5 | 58.33% |
| 2001 | 5-6 | 45.45% |
| 2002 | 4-9 | 30.77% |
| 2003 | 12-3 | 80% |
| 2004 | 10-4 | 71.43% |
| 2005 | 11-4 | 73.33% |
| 2006 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2007 | 12-4 | 75% |
| 2008 | 11-7 | 61.11% |
| 2009 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2010 | 12-5 | 70.59% |
| 2011 | 13-4 | 76.47% |
| 2012 | 10-6 | 62.50% |
| 2013 | 12-6 | 66.67% |
| 2014 | 13-5 | 72.22% |
| 2015 | 6-12 | 33.33% |
| 2016 | 10-8 | 55.56% |
| 2017 | 10-7 | 58.82% |
| 2018 | 11-7 | 63.63% |
| 2019 | 14-6 | 70% |
| 2020 | 12-4 | 75% |
| 2021 | 14-5 | 73.68% |
| 2022 | 9-4 | 69.23% |
| 2023 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2024 | 12-5 | 70.59% |
| 2025 | 1-0 | 100% |
Fun facts about Corso's picks:
- Ohio State is his most picked team, donning the Buckeye head gear 46 times in his career.
- He picked against Oklahoma and Georgia 22 times each, the most of any schools. He went 6-16 when picking against the Sooners and 13-9 when picking against the Bulldogs.
- He picked 69 different teams on College GameDay.
- He went 17-0 when picking Southern Cal, the best individual record for any team.
- He picked 91 SEC matchups, the most of any single conference.
Best Corso GameDay moments
Final headgear pick
Corso's picks came full circle, as he picked Ohio State on his final appearance on GameDay.
First headgear pick
Corso and Katy Perry
Live alligator in Gainesville
Madness in Norman
Crowd surfing in Happy Valley
Special delivery
Live duck in Eugene
Corso (kind of) apologizes to UGA
Compilation of his best picks