Breaking down ESPN’s new-look ‘College GameDay’ in 2023, from Lee Corso’s status to Stanford Steve’s debut

Football fans have gotten accustomed to the desk of “College GameDay.”

The crew has been Rece Davis hosting a panel that features Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and others who have come through. When it’s time for betting analysis, the crew flips it over to the Bear, Chris Fallica.

There have been a few changes over the years. Chris Fowler used to be the host. The reporters have certainly changed quite a bit. Pat McAfee joined the program in a full-time capacity in 2022.

Some of the most seismic changes might be coming in 2023, however. A pair of regulars are gone, while a new face will be making his “College GameDay” debut. 

MORE: Watch ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ live on Fubo (free trial)

What will be different with “College GameDay” in 2023? Here’s what you need to know.

ESPN ‘College GameDay’ cast 2023

There will be some big changes coming to “College GameDay.” David Pollack and Chris Fallica are out. “Stanford” Steve Coughlin is in.

ESPN went through a round of layoffs over the summer, and Pollack was among the biggest names impacted by the decision. He said that he did not see the move coming, but that he told the ESPN supervisor who delivered the news not to feel sorry about what happened.

“I told him right there on the phone, ‘Hey, dude, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about.’ I have had an amazing ride. This has been awesome,” Pollack said, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. “I would not trade this, I would not turn it in. I got to go to travel the country, see things, give my family experiences that [they] never would have gotten.”

The other major departure came was Fallica, but that one was a voluntary departure. It was reported in December 2022 that Fallica would be leaving “College GameDay” to join “Big Noon Kickoff” on Fox. Fallica’s departure marked the second transition of a notable figure on the program leaving for the rival morning program in a two-year span, with reporter Tom Rinaldi leaving for Fox in late 2020.

Fallica’s exit opened the window for another big betting personality to join ESPN’s Saturday morning show. Coughlin, who has worked with Scott Van Pelt on “Bad Beats,” will be replacing Fallica as the program’s betting analyst.

“Anyone who has met Stanford Steve knows how passionate he is about college football. Adding him to College GameDay will be a great fit as we tap into both his knowledge of the sport and his betting expertise every week to serve all of our loyal fans,” ESPN senior vice president, production Lee Fitting said in a release.

The remainder of the staff largely stays the same. Davis, Herbstreit, Howard and McAfee will still be at the desk, with Jess Sims, Pete Thamel and Jen Lada contributing to the reporting side.

MORE: College Football predictions 2023: Conference champions, playoff teams, national title winner

Is Lee Corso still on ‘College GameDay’?

And of course, we can’t forget about Corso, who will be back on the program in 2023. There has been plenty of speculation regarding Corso’s status for the new season after he missed five episodes of the show last year due to an unspecified illness.

Corso, 88, will be returning to his full-time role, making headgear picks and providing analysis of the games ahead.

Corso is the only original member of the show dating back to its debut in 1987. He suffered a stroke in 2009 that impacted his speech and left him partially paralyzed. Since the incident, his appearances are scripted, with The Washington Post reporting in 2017 that he memorizes a script that he and an assistant prepare at the start of each week.

“It hurts me not to be able to communicate like I used to,” Corso told the Post in 2017. “I used to be pretty good at coming back, you know, quick one-liners. I don’t have spontaneity, I can’t do that as much now. … Every single week, I memorize the show, so that when I get on, I can actually do it. It gets frustrating, because I want to be able to be like I was. But the doctor told me about two or three weeks after, he told me, ‘Lee, you’ll never be the same. You might as well adjust to how you’re going to be.’ I haven’t. But I was determined to get back on television. I wanted to get back.”