‘College GameDay’: All about the U

People and Community Sports

By Robert C. Jones Jr. [email protected] 09-22-2025

In the darkness before dawn, they streamed to the heart of campus by the thousands-some bleary-eyed, others wide awake, all focused on a singular goal: cheering on the hometown team at the biggest pep rally of the year.

They donned orange and green. They threw up the ubiquitous U. They created signs. "Stomp the Chomp," read one. "See U Later Gator," read another.

And many shouted, "It's all about the U."

ESPN's "College GameDay," the weekly traveling pregame show that sets up shop at college campuses for marquee matchups, had come to the University of Miami, broadcasting live Saturday from the Lakeside Patio in advance of the Hurricane football team's resounding 26-7 victory over the University of Florida Gators.

For students, it was the chance to "show off our pride for the U on a national stage," said freshman Joshua Fernandez as he and four friends walked to Lakeside Patio carrying signs that read "We Love the U" and "What's a Gator?"

A student cheers outside of the ACC Huddle. Photo: Joe Some/University of Miami

Click here for more sights and sounds from campus on Saturday.

It was the first time in eight years the show aired from campus. The last time: Nov. 11, 2017, for the Miami-Notre Dame game, a matchup the Hurricanes also won in convincing fashion.

Saturday's show marked a sea change. Back in 2017, Nick Saban roamed the sidelines of Bryant-Denny Stadium as head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, and legendary analyst Lee Corso ended each GameDay broadcast by donning the mascot headgear belonging to his winning pick for the day's matchup.

Now Saban, on whose staff Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal once served, has exchanged his coaching headset for a seat on the GameDay set as an analyst. And the 90-year-old Corso, himself a former college football coach, has retired, his final appearance part of the GameDay crew on Aug. 30 for the Ohio State-Texas game.

But that doesn't mean the show's popularity will wane, said Ed Julbe, senior lecturer in the University of Miami School of Communication, who mentors the student team that produces and airs UMTV's award-winning SportsDesk.

"'College GameDay's' nearly four-decade run demonstrates that it's a Saturday morning staple for college football fans," he said. "It brings a party-like atmosphere to college campuses across the country and is a great way for fans to openly display their passion for the game and their university."

For the past three years, the show has garnered the highest ratings in its history, averaging 2.2 million viewers in 2024, according to Nielsen data.

Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter who hosts a sports talk show on ESPN, is the show's newest analyst, bringing his own distinctive style to the broadcast and stepping into the role Corso once held as the analyst honored with making the final pick.

University President Joe Echevarria gets the crowd hyped at Saturday's live broadcast of ESPN's "College GameDay." Photo: Mariano Copello/University of Miami.

At Saturday's GameDay from Lakeside Patio, McAfee literally took that role to new heights, leaving the set of GameDay, running microphone in hand to the Olympic-sized Whitten University Center Swimming Pool, climbing the ladder to the highest diving platform, stripping down to a Speedo, and shouting, "The U is back," before executing a pencil dive into the waters below.

While ESPN ran the show, several University areas helped make sure the campus ran smoothly during the increased activity.

"From the moment we learned 'College GameDay' was coming, we put our own dedicated team in action to make sure we were ready," said captain Bill Gerlach of the University of Miami Police Department, praising police lieutenant Addy Villanueva for her role in spearheading the operational plan for the event.

A parallel broadcast on campus made the day especially challenging, as the "ACC Huddle," the ACC Network's weekly college football pregame show, aired from the Foote Green.

As such, elevated safety and security measures were the order of the day, forcing some people on campus to take circuitous routes to their destinations near Lakeside Patio. But Esteban Chiquito, who at 6 a.m. Saturday had to find an alternate path to the Starbucks at the Student Center Complex where he works as barista, didn't mind.

"It's been exciting to see how GameDay has unified this campus," said the first-year student, noting what he described as "an increased level of camaraderie" among everyone in the days leading up to the event.

The University, Gerlach noted, activated its Unified Operations Center and worked closely with Coral Gables Police and the city's fire department, which maintained a presence on campus during the broadcast.

The University bookstore extended its hours, and on the Saturday of the broadcast, the establishment experienced a marked "uptick in business," said the store's market leader, Allison Rotbart of Follett, the authorized vendor that operates the business.

Five different "College GameDay" T-shirts and a crewneck sweatshirt-all created in partnership with ESPN and the University's Logo Licensing team-were on sale at the store.

"As soon as we heard they ['College GameDay'] were coming, we had a flood of emails, phone calls, and team meetings just to coordinate what products we could turn over in a matter of two days and have it on campus available," said Ana Alvarez, assistant vice president of auxiliary services. "That was a big challenge, but we met it. It's just part of that full experience that students, alumni, and visitors want."

Alumni joined students and community members in a celebration of all things U during the broadcast.

"The University has such great pride regardless, but whenever the football team has a great season, alumni engagement is amplified," said Erica Arroyo, associate vice president of engagement. "In 2017 we saw so much more excitement around the Canes and the University. And now that GameDay has come back a second time, it's just been fabulous."

Students cheer for the hosts as they begin the final portion of the show, where they offer their predictions on the victors of many college football games. Photo: Mariano Copello/University of Miami