ESPN announces sites of first two College GameDay episodes of milestone 2026 season
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
ESPN’s College GameDay has been a Saturday morning tradition for years. In fact, the venerable pregame show will be celebrating its 40th season, and its 500th show on the road, in 2026.
On the show’s debut in 1987, Tim Brando was the host, with analysts Beano Cook and a former college football head coach named Lee Corso manning the desk from ESPN’s studios in Bristol. Over time, the show took to the road, eventually growing into what it is today (signs and all).
In 2026, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban will be back behind the famed desk. We now know where they’ll be for Weeks 1 and 2.
In Week 1, the show will be in Baton Rouge ahead of LSU vs. Clemson, Lane Kiffin’s debut as LSU head coach. It will also mark GameDay’s 500th show on the road. Per ESPN, details of what that will involve are yet to be announced. Week 2 will see the GameDay crew set up shop in Austin as Arch Manning and Texas host Ohio State.
There’s another milestone that will be celebrated in 2026. It will be Kirk Herbstreit’s 30th season as a GameDay analyst. After Corso’s retirement following Week 1 of the 2025 season, Herbstreit is now the longest-serving member of the GameDay cast. Desmond Howard is the next-longest tenured, with 2026 marking his 22nd season.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
