ESPN’s “College GameDay” is headed to Knoxville on Sept. 26 for No. 13 Tennessee’s SEC opener against No.
1 Texas, and the guest picker chatter has already taken off. There’s a reason for that: the show has a pretty recognizable way of choosing its celebrity pickers, even if it likes to throw in the occasional surprise.
The safest bet, based on the pattern, is someone with a clear tie to the home school. That makes Matthew McConaughey an easy name to rule out, even with the Longhorn connection. “College GameDay” usually leans toward host-school figures, though it has made exceptions before.
One of the most notable came in 2004, when Charles Barkley showed up in Knoxville as the show’s first celebrity guest picker for a matchup between his alma mater Auburn and Tennessee, according to Vols Wire. Barkley has since been on the show six times, a reminder that repeat appearances are very much in play.
That keeps Peyton Manning squarely in the mix after his Knoxville appearance as guest picker in 2022. If ESPN went that route, it would create a pretty compelling setup: the former Tennessee quarterback would be asked to choose between his alma mater and Texas, where his nephew Arch Manning is the starting quarterback.
The show also likes people who are simply big fans of the school, not just former players or alumni. Nate Bargatze, a longtime Vanderbilt supporter, was the guest picker in Nashville last year when the Commodores hosted Missouri. Theo Von, who is from Louisiana but has a home in Nashville, also served as Vanderbilt’s guest picker last season before the Commodores played Alabama.
Von has had other Knoxville ties too. He was on the field at Neyland Stadium in 2022 and dumped a Gatorade cooler on coach Josh Heupel after Tennessee beat Florida. Two years later, he returned to Knoxville to help with a Hurricane Helene relief drive organized by his friend and Knoxville native Morgan Wallen, who has also become a popular “College GameDay” candidate after releasing a limited-edition camo shirt tied to the Tennessee-Texas matchup.
Rick Barnes is another name to watch. He coached 17 seasons at Texas before taking over Tennessee’s program in 2015, which gives him a built-in connection to both sides of this game.
And because “College GameDay” has a history of bringing back familiar faces, a few other names are still in the conversation: Keegan Michael Key, Bianca Belair, Candace Parker and Kenny Chesney, each of whom has appeared before.
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