Damn, you really forget sometimes after these last 15 years of witnessing the stroke stricken and aging version Lee Corso just how electrically full of energy he once was. Hearing Corso firing on all cylinders makes me feel both nostalgic and really sad for how things have unfolded for him health-wise this past decade or so. His slow decline has not been enjoyable to witness. Also, how TF has Kirk Herbstreit stayed 30 years old for 30 years now?
No doubt. His mind was so sharp in his prime. The contagious energy, Corso-isms, mascot heads, ect. Corso’s ability to tap into the mystique and lore of the sport on fall Saturday mornings helped make everything about college football just a little more fun. Can never truly fill the void of what Corso was in his prime, but fortunately I do think the show has found some life again with Mcafee.
It has been a shell of itself ever since Corso's first stroke in 2008/2009? The lil knock off and R-rated Barstool version of college gameday has been much more entertaining personally for me than the traditional ESPN college gameday these last few years. Pat McAfee does give me hope for the show's future moving forward. He's about as perfect of a personality there is out there that can revive the magic of Corso's energetic showmanship he once brought to that show. Sure I'm highly biased here, but his fiery pro-UT rant that even included a shoutout to Gus's Deli concluding with 20,000 people on The Hill joining in on his A cappella belting of Rocky Top last October gives me chills. Beautifully fun stuff that moment was. "GIVE ME TENNESSEE BY A MILLION!!"
"That's when you feel pressure. When the people outside have higher expectations than you do. That's just not the case" - Not Butch Jones