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Who will be the ‘College GameDay’ guest picker at Notre Dame?
Erin Drumm | Wednesday, September 20, 2023
ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming back to where it started in South Bend this Saturday. As the Fighting Irish face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes, “GameDay’s” panel of experts, featuring Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and a guest picker will grace Notre Dame with their presence.
The last time ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in South Bend was the Clemson vs. Notre Dame game in November of 2020 when the Irish took down the Tigers in a 47-40 win.
However, the last time Ohio State hosted ESPN’s “College GameDay” was last year’s Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game in which the Irish fell to Ohio State 21-10.
The upcoming game day weekend is on everybody’s mind and so is one important question: Who will be “College GameDay’s” celebrity picker at Notre Dame?
Last week’s “College GameDay” at the Colorado State vs. Colorado game saw a large showing by celebrity fans. While Lil Wayne might not be leading the Irish out of the locker room this weekend, a guest picker will certainly grace the “College GameDay” stage for the Irish.
Here are some possibilities:
Dick Vitale: Legendary ESPN basketball broadcaster, Dickie V, is known to be an avid Fighting Irish fan and would certainly be welcomed by Notre Dame fans as the guest picker. Vitale has tweeted that he will be attending the game this weekend and having him as the guest picker would be “Awesome, Baby!”
Vince Vaughn: Hollywood actor, Vince Vaughn, was featured in the 1993 film “Rudy” and is a native of the Chicago area. Vaughn is a long-time fan of the Irish and could be back in the Bend this weekend.
Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift is perhaps the least likely and most hoped for possible guest picker. Swift’s brother, Austin Swift ‘15, attended Notre Dame and Swift has been spotted at a Notre Dame game in the past. Additionally, some believe Swift’s “Champagne Problems” to be about a Notre Dame couple. Though it is highly unlikely Swift will be in South Bend this weekend, the guest picker remains a “Blank Space” at the moment and Notre Dame students are happy to write Swift’s name in.
Last time “College GameDay” was in South Bend in 2020, Fighting Irish alum and then Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Chase Claypool was the guest picker. Former Fighting Irish players are highly likely to be chosen as the guest picker for this Saturday’s match-up as well.
Manti Te’o: Beloved Notre Dame All-American Manti Te’o could be the guest picker on Saturday. Te’o received a standing ovation last September when he returned to Notre Dame Stadium before the Notre Dame-Cal game. In July of 2022, the Netflix documentary “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist” premiered and Irish fans got an inside look at Te’o’s experience in college.
Jerome Bettis: Jerome “the Bus” Bettis is a probable guess for the guest picker this weekend. Bettis left Notre Dame in his senior year to enter the 1993 NFL Draft but later returned to campus to study where he received his degree with the Class of 2022.
“This is education related and you can never take away the education. That’s the message that I’m sending my children, but also the message that I want everybody to know,” Bettis said about returning to Notre Dame.
The Super Bowl winner, Hall of Famer and six-time pro bowler would be a solid choice for ESPN’s “GameDay” picker.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list and Notre Dame can boast a host of celebrity fans who might appear on the GameDay panel this Saturday. In 2018, when “College GameDay” came to South Bend for the Michigan vs. Notre Dame game, country music star Luke Bryan was the guest picker and another dark horse could be chosen as the guest picker this weekend.
Erin Drumm is a senior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, journalism and history. She is from Philadelphia and spends her summers (and every weekend possible) at the shore in Cape May County, New Jersey. Outside of The Observer, Erin can be found cheering on the Fighting Irish and the Phillies, reading and talking about pop culture and history. She can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
