Lee Corso calls Pat McAfee after epic ESPN College GameDay diving board pick: 'I passed the torch on to a great guy'

Lee Corso is no longer joining the ESPN College GameDay crew every weekend, but he’s still tuning into the show. On Sunday, Pat McAfee posted a video of a phone call with Corso, who called to congratulate McAfee on an excellent show.

“It was great and I really enjoyed it,” Corso can be heard saying over the phone. “I wanted to let you know that I passes the torch on to a great guy.”

“Coach, I thank you so much for calling and saying that,” McAfee responded. “That’s incredibly cool. You’ve done such amazing things for this sport, obviously for this show. You’ve taken it to levels that it’s never seen before and I’m just gonna try to pay tribute man and do what the show deserves, if that’s alright by you.”

After GameDay, I hopped in my bus to head to the airport to get back to Indy for #WrestlePalooza

I got a call from an icon who was pumped I didn’t get electrocuted 😂😂

I’m so thankful and lucky to get to do what I do.. THANKS FOR PAVING THE WAY COACH CORSO

On the wall behind… https://t.co/d2KuvjCNQi pic.twitter.com/TQqDyu49ck

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 21, 2025

Corso had been hosting ESPN College GameDay since 1993 before his retirement earlier this season. Corso was most well-known for his iconic segment when he’d put on the headgear of whichever team he was picking to win in the show’s game of the week.

Since Corso moved on from the show, McAfee has had the honor of making the final pick of the show. The former NFL punter never fails to bring electricity to the show with his larger-than-life personality.

On Saturday, Pat McAfee took his highly-anticipated pick to new heights. While choosing between Florida and Miami, McAfee marched off stage and climbed to the top of a high dive at a nearby pool for the Hurricanes’ diving team.

After rattling off a professional wrestler-style rant and predicting a Miami win, McAfee stripped down to his underwear and leapt off the towering diving board, much to the amusement of his fellow College GameDay co-hosts. Miami went on to win the game in convincing 26-7 fashion.

McAfee’s rise as the premier personality of the weekly pregame show has been nothing short of meteoric. He became a co-host on College GameDay in 2022 after previously appearing on the show as a celebrity guest picker.

Now, fans tune in on a weekly basis to see what antic McAfee has up his sleeve. Along with his predictions, McAfee delivers a kicking segment, in which he allows college students in the crowd attempt to make a field goal with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line.

It’s quickly become a fan favorite. Only time will tell what McAfee will bring next to the show. Alas, fans can rest assured he’ll have Lee Corso on his mind.