Well, who said behind the camera there’s no true bond? This College GameDay host’s pair bond runs deep, and no one proves that better than Kirk Herbstreit and the legendary Lee Corso. It’s a brotherhood forged over nearly three decades. Like old friends in the trenches, watching each other’s backs through thick and thin. Whenever Corso stumbles over a word after suffering from a stroke, Herbstreit jumps in without missing a beat, offering gentle support. And when Herbstreit lost his dog, Ben Corso provided quiet comfort, even on a live television show. Looks like it’s the end of an era as Corso retires after 400+ mascot picks and nearly four decades, but their bond? That’s still carved in stone.

Two months back, when Lee Corso announced his retirement, it left the entire sports world in a frenzy. Fans were filled with emotions, and well wishes poured in from fans and colleagues across the CFB world. Everyone was cherishing the iconic impact he’s had on the sport, and so does Kirk Herbstreit. Following his announced news, he jumped right into his X, spilling tea on their phone call after the news broke and one request he had for Herbstreit. “You’ve got to know our guy doesn’t have a computer, let alone social media… haha,” Herbstreit said.

He further talks about the request he made, saying, “So I called him just now to make sure he knew how much the college football community has been pouring out their love for him. As we talked about other things and were about to hang up, he said, ‘Hey Kirk, can you put up on your Facebook or Twitter or whatever it is how much I appreciate all the well wishes—it really means a lot to me?'” Now that’s how deep of a bond they share. But it nurtured with time and then picked up momentum, especially after Lee Corso’s major health concern.

When Lee Corso suffered a stroke back in 2009, his return to the show was uncertain. But he did return a week later, and at that moment Kirk Herbstreit developed a sense of care and gave him the emotional support he needed, and he opened up about it on the Ryan Hawk show. “I think our relationship before was me looking at him and him having his arm around me, not just on air, but I think where our relationship really changed was off air when I got married. I would ask him questions, you know, we’d be in the back of a car going to a photo shoot, and I didn’t know him that well, but he was a really good listener,” he said. Kirk would have all random conversations with Lee Corso about his marriage and kids and give him nicknames like ‘Yoda’ or ‘Don Corleone’.”

As mentioned earlier, Kirk Herbstreit became Corso’s safety net on set after his stroke, as he used to jump right in at the perfect time to help him land a sentence whenever the words didn’t come easily. “I just—it wasn’t like we had a discussion. I would just be sitting next to him, and he’d get caught on a word, and I would just try to subtly, like, interrupt him in a funny way or just try to do whatever I could to just kind of just quietly just kind of give him a little nudge or just a little—just a little crutch for him to kind of gather himself and just finish his thought,” he said. Well, Lee Corso wasn’t just a co-host for Kirk. he was a ‘father figure’ and a mentor for him whom he looked up to for all these years. “He does things without him really coaching me; I’m just watching,” Herbstreit said.

And with all those flashbacks coming right in, how can Kirk Herbstreit not bring in his favourite Lee Corso moment? “I don’t know if you can pull up my favorite Lee Corso story, but if you Google Lee Corso f-bomb, it would probably be my…!!” he said. The scene on November 19, 2011, remains legendary which unfolded in Houston. Undefeated and ranked #11, the Cougars were set to face SMU, and the crew arrived with a premonition of excitement. As the Cougars prepared to crush SMU (a 37-7 victory), Corso delivered an unforgettable pick. With guest picker Carl Lewis, Corso grabbed an SMU megaphone, playfully teased the crowd, then discarded it, declaring, “Ah, f— it,” before putting on Shasta’s mascot head.

Lewis erupted in applause; Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit covered their faces. “Glad there’s a delay,” Lewis quipped, unaware ESPN had no such contingency. Fowler retorted, “Shasta, shame on you,” as laughter filled the set. Later, Corso issued a rare on-air apology. Fans, however, wholeheartedly embraced the spontaneous mayhem. And it still remains one of the iconic Lee Corse moments. And now? Hebestreit wants a perfect see-off for Lee Corso, but it looks like that’s not that straight.

Kirk Herbstreit’s last wish for Lee Corso’s farewell

This fall, Lee Corso will don his mascot headgear for the final time, marking the end of his long tenure on ESPN’s College GameDay. At 90 years old, Corso will wrap up his iconic run with a final show on the first full Saturday of the 2025 season. That might result in a dramatic game in Columbus between Texas and Ohio State, two teams projected to be in the Top 5. But that’s not that simple…

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s Ohio State Texas cuz he started with the Brutus headgear that Ally helped get him to wear that first time and it would be the last time you know the challenge there is that is currently a noon kick as much as you guys don’t like those noon kicks it’s which it would be great for this moment 100,000 people in that stadium,” Herbstreit revealed.

Texas controlled the kickoff time for their highly anticipated 2025 season opener against Ohio State. The rematch of a College Football Playoff semifinal quickly gained attention when Fox scheduled it for their ‘Big Noon Saturday’ broadcast. However, Ohio State fans protested the early start time, complaining about early wake-up calls, rushed pre-game festivities, and a less vibrant game-day atmosphere. Fox Sports executive Mike Mulvihill stated that a deal existed between Fox and Ohio State to move the game to Sunday night, but Texas ultimately retained its right to a Saturday kickoff, preventing the change.

Ohio State and Fox tried to move their game to a Sunday primetime slot, hoping to attract a larger audience during a rare NFL-free period. “We felt like Week 1 prior to NFL kickoff gave us an opportunity to look at sort of an alternate scenario,” explained Mulvihill. However, Texas, exercising its contractual right, kept the game on Saturday. “Texas exercised their contractual right to keep the game on Saturday, which is completely their right,” Mulvihill conceded, acknowledging their decision while revealing Fox and Ohio State’s attempt to reschedule.

Well, for now the decision is still up in the air but Kirk Herbstreit is hoping to give Lee Corso the send off he deserves. “He comes out to do his last pick puts the headgear on 100,000 people could be symbolic of the nation showing their love for him i think that would be so fitting to end his run like that I’m hoping it stays at a Saturday noon i think Ohio State’s trying to get it to be moved to a night game so I have no idea how that’ll play out but I think our hope is that it’s in Columbus and it would be just an awesome moment.”

Now, let’s wait and see how the Texas-Ohio game day unfolds.