Kirk Herbstreit shared a heartfelt reunion with his longtime College GameDay partner Lee Corso ahead of the 2025 college football season, offering a glimpse into their enduring friendship and Corso’s life after retirement.
A Surprise Meeting in Orlando
Herbstreit, 57, revealed the encounter during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 8, facilitated through College GameDay’s partnership with CELSIUS. The meeting took place two to three weeks prior in Orlando, where Herbstreit was making an appearance.
“I was doing an appearance down in Orlando maybe two or three weeks ago and he used to do this appearance for 25 years,” Herbstreit said. “It’s down right in his neck of the woods. He found out I was going to be down there and he asked if we could connect.”
Corso, 91, retired from ESPN’s College GameDay in August 2025 after appearing on all 38 seasons of the show. Herbstreit joined the broadcast in 1996, and the two shared decades of on-air chemistry.
Corso Insists on Driving Through a Thunderstorm
Herbstreit described the reunion as “a very typical Lee Corso story.” Rather than meeting at the event venue, Corso insisted on driving to the airport to greet his former colleague.
“I said, ‘How far is the airport?,’ He said ‘I don’t know, 30 minutes or so,’” Herbstreit explained. “I said, ‘You’re not driving.’ He said, ‘I am driving.’ You’re not going to win that battle. He drives over in the middle of a thunderstorm, because in Orlando those pop up at any moment. He’s 91 years old.”
By the time Herbstreit landed, Corso was waiting. “We hugged, embraced. He was emotional because we haven’t seen each other in a while. When he cried, it made me cry. Because he’s my guy. We were able to hang out for probably 20 or 30 minutes and just kind of get caught up.”
Sharp Mind Despite Physical Challenges
Herbstreit noted that while Corso faces physical ailments, his cognitive abilities remain remarkable.
“He’s got a lot of physical ailments that he’s been dealing with, but his mind is incredible.”
“We’d all be lucky to have such cognitive thinking at 91,” Herbstreit marveled. “His eyes are sharp. He’s dialed in. He’s just going through some stuff that makes it tough on him.”
Corso’s passion for the game hasn’t faded. “But he knows about teams. He knows about players. He’s got opinions. I just sat there and listened and loved hearing him talk about that. He’s great. I told him that everybody loves him, everybody misses him. He feels that love, so it’s always good to see him.”
College GameDay’s New Partnership with CELSIUS
This season, College GameDay launched a season-long sponsorship with energy drink brand CELSIUS. The partnership includes the CELSIUS Energy Stage, CELSIUS Fan Cam, and a traveling CELSIUS Combine experience.
Herbstreit, who admitted he never cared for coffee, became a fan of the product in recent years.
“I’ve never been a big coffee drinker and really never an energy drinker until maybe about two or three years ago,” Herbstreit said. “With all the travel I do, I don’t like the taste of coffee. But I do love the taste of CELSIUS. My favorite is the grape.”
He expressed optimism about the collaboration’s future.
“They’re traveling every week with us, so I think the whole thing is really cool. Hopefully they’re just scratching the surface of where this partnership can go.”
College GameDay airs Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN.
