College Football Fans Freak Out Over Rumors That College GameDay Host Lee Corso Has Passed Away

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Lee Corso is the heart and soul of ESPN’s College GameDay. The 87-year-old in his 35th season of hosting the show after coaching stints at both Louisville and Indiana.

But after some hilarious early-season moments, Corso has missed the last two weeks of the show due to an unexplained illness. The illness comes as no surprise to some viewers who were worried about Corso’s speech and appearance in the episodes he had previously appeared on. But co-host Reece Davis quickly shut down any concerns about Corso’s cognitive health.

With GameDay set to head to Knoxville for a showdown between No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday, fans got quite the scare on Monday night. Unfortunately, a nasty rumor surfaced on Twitter that Corso had passed away. And the news didn’t take long to spread like wildfire.

Kirk Herbstreit Puts Awful Lee Corso Rumor To Bed

Thankfully, Kirk Herbstreit was quick to put the rumor to bed and insinuate that Corso is not only healthy but also could be back on the show on Saturday.

That came as a gigantic relief to college football fans everywhere.

Someone later asked Herbsteit why the initial College GameDay tweet was deleted. While he didn’t have an answer, he did offer up his best guesses.

The game between the Vols and Crimson Tide is the biggest in years at Neyland Stadium. Alabama boasts 15 consecutive wins in the Third Saturday in October rivalry. But the Vols look different this year, buoyed by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Though they may not be at full strength. Starting safety and team captain Jaylen McCollough may miss the contest after being arrested for assault on Sunday. Either way, it’s clear that Vols fans are fired up. And with any luck, they’ll have a fired-up Corso sitting at the desk singing Rocky Top with them.