Lee Corso returns to ESPN 'College GameDay' set after virtual presence last season due to COVID

Long-time ESPN college football analyst and former coach Lee Corso returned to the set of the network's popular "College GameDay" show Saturday after a one-year absence over COVID-19 concerns.

Corso had been a part of last season's show, but did so in a remote setting, broadcasting from his home in Orlando, Florida. ESPN helped accommodate Corso, 86, by building elaborate sets and sending him the mascot heads that he infamously wears to make his picks for the marquee matchup of that week's slate.

Corso has been an institution in college football, especially at the end of every show when he reveals his pick by donning a team's headgear. He first did it on On Oct. 5, 1996, picking Ohio State over Penn State by sporting the head of mascot Brutus Buckeye.

OPINION: ESPN's Lee Corso is back and college football is better for it

"College GameDay", which travels around the country to highlight the locations of interesting and premier college football games, was held in Atlanta, outside Center Parc Stadium, in anticipation of Saturday night's North Carolina Central and Alcorn State game.

Next week, GameDay will be in Charlotte, North Carolina for the top-ten matchup between ACC champion and perennial playoff contender Clemson and Georgia, who is also expected to vie for a final four spot.