ESPN is no stranger to realignment, and that includes its own programming slate. For the 2024 college football season, the network is rolling out a new lineup.
As the originator of the early-morning college football kickoff show, College GameDay has become the preeminent on-site studio show for over 30 years, despite originally being a studio show broadcast from Bristol.
As the show enters its 38th season on air, let’s take a look at who will be hosting College Gameday for ESPN in 2024.
Former Alabama Coach Nick Saban Joins College GameDay
Rece Davis, who has been with the network for over 25 years and has been the host since 2015, will continue anchor duties for the show. Also returning for ESPN will be mainstays Kirk Herbstreit, entering his 28th season as a co-host; Lee Corso, in Year 38; and Desmond Howard, in his 19th year. Pat McAfee also returns for his third season with the program.
Joining the crew for the first time will be retired Alabama coach Nick Saban. Saban has previous experience with multiple guest appearances on the show as a coach and will assist with NFL Draft coverage and has already made appearances during SEC Media Days.
Saban comes to the set after 17 years as the head coach at Alabama and 28 years as a college coach. At Alabama, Saban won six national championships and 12 conference titles while compiling a 292-71-1 record. Saban’s teams never had a losing season with him at the helm.
Steve Coughlin, who joined the traveling show last year after years of producing SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, will also contribute to the program. “Stanford Steve,” as he’s known colloquially, also hosts the sports betting program “Daily Wager” in addition to his duties as a producer and co-host with College GameDay.
Coughlin is known for appearing in the “Bad Beats” and “Where in the World isn’t SVP?” segments.
Contributors Pete Thamel, Jen Lada, and Jess Sims will add the storytelling component to the broadcast. Thamel joined ESPN in 2022 as their senior college football writer and is one of the most respected reporters in the sport.
Lada brings a Sports Emmy-winning résumé to the show along with her contributions to SC Featured, Outside The Lines, and E60.
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Sims comes to College GameDay for a second year in addition to her duties as a game reporter for college basketball alongside Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas. The energetic Sims became a hit sensation after her work with Peloton as an instructor.
College GameDay opened the 2024 season on the road in Dublin, Ireland, for Week 0 and announces the location for the show weekly depending on featured games or matchups for the week. The show features a celebrity guest picker from week to week and typically features someone related to the broadcast site of the program.
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