College GameDay analyst reveals show invited iconic country star to be guest picker for Alabama-Tennessee
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
College GameDay revealed earlier this week that Peyton Manning would be Saturday morning’s guest picker. However, that may have been to the dismay of some Tennessee fans.
Vols fans campaigned for legendary country icon Dolly Parton to be the guest picker, but it ended up being Manning. Parton is from Sevierville, which is about 20 miles from Knoxville.
Analyst Rece Davis revealed that the show actually asked Parton to be the guest picker, but he added that she didn’t want to make the trip to Knoxville.
Tennessee students painted The Rock this week to campaign for Parton.
Vols students painted The Rock ahead of Saturday’s game against Alabama, asking ESPN to pick Dolly as the celebrity picker for College GameDay’s return to Knoxville. https://t.co/XNLVDgKN5D
— ABC24 Memphis (@ABC24Memphis) October 13, 2022
With Parton not coming, Peyton Manning is a rather strong fallback option. Had Parton been the guest picker, fans would have been talking about her appearance similar to Katy Perry’s iconic visit in Oxford, Mississippi, several years ago.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
