In the tradition-rich sport that college football is, ESPN’s College GameDay is an ancillary off-shoot etched in the tradition itself. The show has been accentuating the action for about 4 decades. A lot of evolution and change has occurred since, however, one panellist has been a mainstay. Lee Corso has been synonymous with the show since his first appearance in 1987. So when he returned to the broadcast after a brief absence, the fervor naturally soared.

Lee Corso has missed iterations of the show in the past. However, his absences have been more frequent over the past couple of years. This is, of course, owing to health issues stemming from age. The 89-year-old missed conf. Championship weekend due to this, as well as Friday’s broadcast at South Bend for the opening CFP fixture. He also missed Week 6 and 7 earlier this season, but he’s seemingly back for good now.

Corso was seen in high spirits interacting with the live audience as he alternatively raised the helmets of two teams poised to play in arguably the game of the weekend- Ohio State and Tennessee. The fans reciprocated his enthusiasm as they cheered and booed for each helmet, depending on their persuasion. The energy from the fans is bound to have permeated over to Lee Corso and his health.

On the front of how Corso is doing, we received an update courtesy of co-panellist Kirk Herbstreit. In a clip posted on his X account, Herbstreit asked Lee Corso to provide an update on his health. “I’m a lot better,” Corso said. “I’m going to make the rest of the year. I am going to be at all the bowl games.” That is great news for CFB fans yearning for his adorable antics in the build-up to the cannabilism that ensues on the gridiron.

Speaking of the fans, a multitude of them- no matter their rooting interest- expressed their delight at his return. People flooded the comments section of the aforementioned IG post depicting Lee Corso rallying the crowd. Corso seemingly picked Ohio State to win, as he threw the Vols’ orange-laden helmet on the floor before racing a scarlet and gray one towards the end. Goes without saying he caught some flak from Vols fans in the midst of the outpouring of love!

CFB fans express their delight over the return of Lee Corso

“Welcome back Lee!!!” wrote one fan, evidently missing Corso over championship weekend. “Coach Corso 😍” and “Leee❤️” reiterated a similar sentiment. One fan sent his wishes the way of Lee Corso owing to the “minor procedure” he’s recovering from. “Glad to see LC back this morning. Keep him safe, warm, and healthy!” they said.

One person applauded the dynamic between Corso and Herbstreit, saying “I love the relationship Kirk and Lee have. So heartwarming!❤️” Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit’s weekly backstage video before the broadcast has become a bit of an appetizer preceding GameDay. “I love that Kirk looks after Corso. Kirk is a solid dude,” relayed this very feeling. 

“Lee that’s wrong…….but I said IT’S GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL!!! GB🍊!” and “You got it wrong Lee, it’s GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL!” displayed what Vol fans thought about Corso’s decree in picking the OSU helmet. With the official pick not in, we could have a classic “Not so fast” Lee Corso moment. That would get the juices flowing for the rest of the season as he makes a full recovery.