Meet ESPN's star-studded 'College GameDay' crew for 2026, from Pat McAfee to Nick Saban

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Meet ESPN's star-studded 'College GameDay' crew for 2026, from Pat McAfee to Nick Saban originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Saturday mornings will soon be dominated by ESPN once again.

The return of college football season means the return of "College GameDay," ESPN's longtime Saturday pregame show that sets the table for each week's games while traveling to some of the biggest matchups of the week. 

For three hours, some of the biggest names in college football media talk will be talking through the storylines, Xs and Os while engaging with the home crowd, one of the premiere traveling studio shows in sports.

Here's a look at the crew for "College GameDay" for the 2026 season.

MORE:The Sporting News' predictions for 2026 college football season

Who is on 'College GameDay' in 2026?

There is only one notable change from the 2025 "College GameDay" crew to 2026: the absence of Lee Corso. Last year, in Week 1, the show honored its longtime analyst with a farewell episode from Columbus, Ohio, prior to Texas vs. Ohio State. Corso officially retired afterward, but this will be the first full season without his presence on the set in the show's history — Corso was part of "College GameDay" for its 1987 inception onward.

Here's a look at the rest of the returning "College GameDay" members this season.

Rece Davis

In 2015, Rece Davis took over as the host of "College GameDay" from one of ESPN's icons, Chris Fowler — and Davis has held onto his position since, becoming a staple of the crew every year.

Davis, a Chicago native, joined ESPN in the late 1990s, going from a studio host to a "SportsCenter" anchor and plenty more responsibilities. He's also become a contributor to the network's soccer coverage, including hosting responsibilities for World Cup coverage in the past.

For ESPN college football studio shows, Davis has become a mainstay leading the coverage, and that won't change on "College GameDay" this season.

Pat McAfee

Love him or hate him, Pat McAfee has risen to "star" status at ESPN, taking on more responsibilities than ever for the 2026 football season. After gaining attention in the sports media space through his YouTube Show, McAfee has gone from having "The Pat McAfee Show" picked up on ESPN airwaves daily, to becoming a full-time "College GameDay" analyst in 2022.

Highlighted by his "Kicking Competitions," inviting college students at each of the show's stops to kick a field goal to make thousands of dollars, McAfee has brought plenty of energy to the "GameDay" set. 

In 2026, he's also set to take on more of a presence in ESPN's NFL coverage as a "Monday Night Countdown" analyst. But on Saturday mornings, McAfee will be on a college campus. 

Nick Saban

The foil to McAfee's antics, Nick Saban is back for Year 3 on the "College GameDay" set, a role he took on following retirement from his legendary coaching career.

Saban has offered exactly what was anticipated: plenty of experience to share from the college football world and endless knowledge of the game. In essence, he's taking on the "coach" responsibilities on the set from Corso, who also coached the sport prior to joining ESPN.

Now 74 years old, Saban is the oldest member of the "College GameDay" crew.

Desmond Howard

The 2026 season will mark Year 21 on the set of "College GameDay" for Desmond Howard, the former Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan and NFL star. When he first joined the show in 2005, Howard sat alongside Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit.

Howard, 56, is a College Football Hall of Famer and has often been the go-to personality on the show for a former star player's perspective.

Kirk Herbstreit

With Corso departing, the new longest-tenured member of the "College GameDay" crew is Herbstreit, who joined the show in 1996. The 2026 season will mark 30 years since his debut.

Unlike Saban, McAfee or Howard, Herbstreit wasn't known for his football playing/coaching career prior to joining "GameDay." After playing quarterback at Ohio State, including starting in 1992, Herbstreit has built his fame entirely through the media business. 

The now-57-year-old quickly became a fan favorite on the ESPN set, and as of 2026, he's won five Sports Emmy Awards in his career. Herbstreit has also been the color commentator of Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" coverage since 2022. 

MORE: Five storylines to track, from Lane Kiffin to ND's revenge tour

'College GameDay' 2026 schedule

For the time being, "College GameDay" has only released its first three locations for 2026: Baton Rouge, Austin and Oxford.

The ESPN show will be traveling to Clemson vs. LSU for the first week of the season, with Lane Kiffin coaching in his Tigers debut against Dabo Swinney. The following week, "College GameDay" will travel to Austin, where Arch Manning and Texas will be hosting Ohio State.

In Week 3 on Sept. 19, the show will be in Oxford, Mississippi for another huge LSU game, as Kiffin makes his return to his former Ole Miss program.

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