ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot Travels South to Miami for Sunshine State Showdown

• College football’s premier pregame show heads to South Florida for the first time since 2020, and Miami’s first full on-campus show since 2017
• Special on-site guests: Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk joins as guest picker and Miami HC Mario Cristobal live on set

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot heads to Coral Gables, Fla., this week for an in-state battle between the Florida Gators and the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes. The premier pregame show will be live from The U for the first time since 2020 – and first full show since 2017 – from Lakeside Patio at the University of Miami from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Disney+.

Rece Davis is at the helm for his 11th season, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Kirk Herbstreit, longtime Miami resident Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast for the 2025 college football season.

For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.

Following GameDay, Herbstreit will join Chris Fowler and Holly Rowe as part of ESPN’s lead game team to call ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One from Hard Rock Stadium (7:30 p.m.).

College GameDay’s strong start to the season hasn’t let up, as the Week 3 show from Tennessee surpassed Week 2 to deliver CGD’s second most-watched regular season episode on record. The top college football pregame program averaged 2.7 million viewers – a 34% increase over 2024’s Week 3 show, and brought in 3.4 million viewers in the final hour with a peak of 3.8 million viewers.

Show Highlights & Guests

• Miami’s head coach Mario Cristobal will join GameDay live on-site ahead of the Florida showdown while Michigan’s interim head coach Biff Poggi joins live from Nebraska before the No. 21 Wolverines take on the Cornhuskers. Illinois head coach Brett Bielema provides an ‘All-Access’ look into the No. 9 Illini’s preparations throughout the week in the leadup to the matchup with No. 19 Indiana.

• Coach’s Film Room – Nick Saban, the seven-time National Champion head coach, takes fans inside his film room to breakdown Utah’s spread offense led by Devon Dampier.
• Guest picker – NHL Panthers and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matthew Tkachuk joins the show as the Week 4 guest picker. Tkachuk led the Cats to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, including back-to-back championships in each of the last two seasons. A finalist for the Hart Trophy given to the NHL’s most valuable player in 2022-23, Tkachuk has produced 254 points (88-166-254) over his last 211 regular season games with Florida and 69 points (25-44-69) over his last three postseasons. Tkachuk has also represented the U.S. internationally, most recently where he served as alternate captain at the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. He was also one of the first six players named to Team USA’s preliminary roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 alongside his brother, Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk.
• Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Back for its third season, the fan-favorite Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest will offer an exclusive contest during the live show. Fans who arrive early will have a chance to be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. McAfee has given out more than $2,000,000 of his own money in prizes and charity donations across his time on the show. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.

Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.

Features:

• Welcome to Miami– The first half of last year’s SEC Championship game ended with a play that triggered a series of events that reshaped the college football landscape. Carson Beck injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow and required surgery, putting his NFL dreams on hold and his future in Athens, Ga., in doubt. In a surprise to many, Beck ultimately left the Bulldogs and transferred to Miami, replacing the eventual number one pick in the NFL Draft and bringing sky high expectations with him. The domino effect now has the Hurricanes in the national title conversation, along with Beck on the Heisman watch. Desmond Howard reports.
• Comeback Kicker – In the spring of 2024, Auburn kicker Alex McPherson – a once-touted prospect, lost a substantial amount of weight. At one point, he weighed just 110 pounds. McPherson ended up having a life-saving procedure that caused him to miss the entire 2024 season. Now, over a year later, McPherson returns to the field – his resilience on display with every kick. Jen Lada reports.
• The Return of the Platypus– College football is littered with strange relics – household objects made holy by repetition… a water jug… a bucket… a skillet. They become more than trophies. They’re symbols, artifacts of regional pride. But of all the oddities, perhaps none is as improbable, or as elusive, as the Platypus Trophy for the winner of the Oregon State – Oregon rivalry. Ryan McGee reports.
• The 90s Are Back – What decade are we actually in?? The Backstreet Boys are selling out the Sphere. The guy from ER just won an Emmy for playing a doctor. Are we sure we’re not in the 90s? Miami is in the national title conversation, but they’re going to have to go through FSU. Plus, Michigan and Nebraska, the co-1997 national champs – are set to square off. Get your Discman and some Surge. Ryan McGee reports.

ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage

Back for their fourth season together, Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr., return for ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper. The trio heads to Miami for Week 4 as Williamson makes a triumphant return to her alma mater where she was a scholarship athlete with the ‘Canes’ varsity volleyball team. Countdown kicks off college football Saturdays with fun, fresh insights into the full weekend slate of games.

The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. weekly.

ACC Network Joins College GameDay in Miami
In addition to GameDay, ACC Network’s signature football show, ACC Huddle, will also originate from Miami for Week 4 coverage. This marks the first time that GameDay and ACC Huddle are visiting the same game site since ACC Network launched in 2019. Taylor Tannebaum hosts alongside ACC Huddle analysts Eric Mac Lain, the winningest player in Clemson history, former Virginia Tech standout Eddie Royal and National Championship-winning head coach Jimbo Fisher. The show airs from 10 a.m. – noon and will originate from Foote University Green on the University of Miami campus.

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans within the ESPN App. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, the ESPN App provides a unique viewing experience that includes integrated game stats, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen feature, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as ESPN BET information, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, and more. These new features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

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