The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that iconic college football analyst Lee Corso, an original member of ESPN’s 10-time Emmy-Award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, will be the recipient of the 2025 NFF Chris Schenkel Award. He will officially be honored Dec. 9 during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.
“Lee Corso is an icon in the world of college football broadcasting, a figure whose passion, insight, and infectious personality have brought the game into homes across the country for nearly four decades,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “His experiences as a player at Florida State and a college coach for more than a quarter century laid the foundation for what would become one of our sport’s most colorful broadcasting careers, but it has been his creativity, quick wit, and marketing flair that have clearly set him apart as a broadcaster. We are eternally grateful for all he has done to build the next generation of college football fans. We are extremely pleased to name him the 2025 recipient of the NFF Chris Schenkel Award.”
First presented in 1996, the award recognizes individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university or platform. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient Chris Schenkel, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster who emceed the NFF Annual Awards Dinner for 28 consecutive years from 1968 to 1995.
Corso, one of college football’s most knowledgeable, opinionated and engaging analysts, first appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay as a contributor in 1987 and became a full-time analyst in 1989 after 28 years as a football coach, including head jobs at Louisville, Indiana, and Northern Illinois and assistant roles at Florida State, Maryland, and Navy. ESPN and Corso have announced that he will retire from his legendary role with a final College GameDay appearance and 431st headgear pick at the Week 1 show on Aug. 30, 2025.
Corso’s influence on college football is unparalleled. Since joining ESPN’s College Game-Day, he has become synonymous with the excitement, unpredictability, and pageantry of the sport. Known for his expert analysis, humorous personality, memorable mascot headgear picks, and his trademark “Not so fast, my friend” catchphrase, Corso has helped turn the weekly broadcast into a cultural touchstone that transcends the game itself. His unique ability to combine storytelling, insight, and enthusiasm has educated fans while celebrating the players, coaches, and programs that have defined college football.
Corso played football and baseball at Florida State, earning four varsity letters in each. He is a member of the athletic Halls of Fame at FSU, Louisville and Indiana, in addition to the state of Florida Sports Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.
Corso previously took the NFF stage in 2006, when College Game-Day received the NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, joined by thenhost Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit. This year, Corso will have the spotlight to himself as one of the recipients of an NFF Major Award. The 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas will also feature the induction of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class, the presentation of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments, and the 36th William V. Campbell Trophy honoring the nation’s top football scholarathlete.
