2025 MLB draft guide: One big question and latest intel for all 30 teams
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Kiley McDaniel
It’s MLB draft week!
This year’s draft will take place July 13-14 in Atlanta as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game festivities hosted by the Atlanta Braves.
As we approach the start of Round 1, here is one big question facing each of the 30 MLB teams.
Teams are listed in draft order.
More draft coverage: Mock draft 2.0 | Top 250 prospects
Watch: July 13 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Day 1 picks: No. 1, No. 49, No. 80
Bonus pool: $16,597,800
One big question: With C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Brady House and MacKenzie Gore in the big leagues, do the Nats’ opt for LSU lefty Kade Anderson over prep shortstop Ethan Holliday due to how they see their competitive timeline?
The industry believes the Nats are down to Holliday or Anderson for the No. 1 overall pick, with a small chance of another player being the choice. Anderson could be in the big leagues next season while Holliday likely takes a few years, at least.
Last year’s draft was the first with a new scouting group in place. The Nats picked No. 10 overall, at the tail end of the top tier of talent, and opted to go underslot with a safer pick in SS Seaver King. They applied those savings to a riskier pick in prep SS Luke Dickerson, who has been a home run so far, already becoming a top 100 prospect.
While they are picking No. 1 this year, the top of this draft doesn’t stack up to last year’s edition. As a draft prospect, Anderson ranks behind the top pitchers in last year’s class, such as second overall pick Chase Burns and, for some teams, behind fifth overall pick Hagen Smith — so this situation isn’t wildly different to that of their top pick last year.
Day 1 picks: No. 2, No. 47, No. 79, No. 105
Bonus pool: $16,656,400
One big question: How hard will the Angels lean into taking quick-moving college prospects this year?
Under GM Perry Minasian, the Angels have prioritized taking potential quick movers and promoting them aggressively: Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Christian Moore, Sam Bachman, and Ben Joyce are all early picks who are currently on the big league roster.
Rumors have been circulating all spring that Los Angeles will take one of the college lefties (LSU’s Kade Anderson, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle) with the No. 2 overall pick and put that pitcher on the express train to L.A.
There were rumors last year that the Angeles considered prep shortstop Bryce Rainer with their first pick, but they ultimately ended up passing and taking Moore out of Tennessee; similarly this year the Angels have been tied to prep shortstop Ethan Holliday and Eli Willits — but the industry isn’t really buying it given the Halos’ history.
Last year, their next two picks were likely relievers in Chris Cortez and Ryan Johnson, and there are a number of similar college arms available for their next few picks in this draft: LSU righty Chase Shores, Georgia righty Brian Curley, Iowa lefty Cade Obermueller, Tennessee righties A.J. Russell and Tanner Franklin and Ole Miss righty Mason Morris. All of those pitchers should land in Rounds 2-4.
Day 1 picks: No. 3, No. 35, No. 57, No. 91
Bonus pool: $17,074,400
One big question: Do the M’s continue with the draft strategy that has been working for them?
There are a couple player demographics that have provided strong returns for Seattle in recent drafts. Prep position players landed with high picks/bonuses is a big one — Colt Emerson, Cole Young, Jonny Farmelo, Harry Ford, Edwin Arroyo and Aidan Smith came in the 2021-2023 drafts. And Seattle also has found success with college pitchers throughout the draft: George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Brody Hopkins, Logan Evans.
Right now, industry chatter has Seattle casting a wide net for the No. 3 overall pick, with the three college left-handed pitchers all getting a long look along with prep righty Seth Hernandez and also some college position players in Aiva Arquette and Ike Irish.
Day 1 picks: No. 4, No. 45, No. 74, No. 77
Bonus pool: $15,723,400
One big question: What do the Rockies do if they don’t get Ethan Holliday?
It’s a poorly kept secret that the Rockies want Ethan Holliday, and they’ll probably get him if he doesn’t go No. 1 overall. But if he does go to the Nationals there, what direction does Colorado choose with the No. 4 pick?
Most industry chatter is that the Rockies will take a pitcher, with Florida State’s Jamie Arnold and Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon, the two pitchers they are tied to that should still be on the board. Some think the Rockies would take Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette.
Whomever Colorado selects at No. 4 will likely impact the next pick, as the Rockies tend to mix position players and pitchers with their top picks. It’s worth noting the Rockies haven’t taken a high school player in the top 10 rounds in any of the past three drafts, so Holliday seems to be the rare prep player who tickles their fancy.
Day 1 picks: No. 5, No. 55, No. 72, No. 89
Bonus pool: $14,238,300
One big question: Will Chaim Bloom’s influence be felt in this year’s draft?
The Cards haven’t picked a high school player in the top 10 rounds in the past three drafts, instead leaning heavily into college pitching.
While in control in Boston, Bloom wasn’t shy about draft prep position players at high picks, including Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke. Bloom will be taking control of the Cardinals front office after this season, so it is an open question if his preferences will be felt a few months before he is the team’s top decision-maker.
Prep shortstops Eli Willits, JoJo Parker and Billy Carlson have all been tied here, with the other college players projected in this range of the draft also mentioned.
Day 1 picks: No. 6, No. 50, No. 73, No. 82
Bonus pool: $14,088,400
One big question: Will the Pirates lean toward college prospects with their early picks to try to help the big league team ASAP?
The Pirates have taken an above-average rate of high school players — their first three picks last year and four of their top five — and have found some big success with Konnor Griffin and Bubba Chandler.
That said, they’ve been tied mostly to college players for their top pick this year and some rivals theorize this is being influenced by trying to help the big league team. Any of the three college lefties or Aiva Arquette are rumored here most.
Day 1 picks: No. 7, No. 43, No. 46, No. 78
Bonus pool: $15,187,400
One big question: Do the Marlins continue to lean into prep position players?
In the first draft under new president of baseball ops Peter Bendix (formerly of the Rays) and scouting director Frankie Piliere (formerly of the Mariners), the Marlins took prep position players with their top two picks. Rumors have them eyeballing a similar strategy this year, which would be in keeping with a player demographic that the Rays and Mariners have found success with in the past. With a comp pick and over $15 million in bonus pool money, there’s plenty of muscle to get more than two premium talents in this year’s haul.
Day 1 picks: No. 8, No. 81
Bonus pool: $10,314,600
One big question: Given the stars of last year’s draft class and the strength of the farm system are both on the mound, do the Jays try to find a bat with their first pick?
Pitchers Trey Yesavage, Johnny King and Khal Stephen were the Jays’ top three picks last year and are all arrow up this year. Throw in currently/recently injured pitchers Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss and Brandon Barriera, and that’s the top of the farm system, outside of shortstop Arjun Nimmala.
Given where the Jays’ first pick is, Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon and prep RHP Seth Hernandez are options, but otherwise it’s looking like mostly position players as the top options expected to be available for the No. 8 pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 9, No. 51, No. 83
Bonus pool: $11,836,800
One big question: Will the Reds get their wish and land Seth Hernandez?
Almost half of the teams in the top 10 won’t pick Seth Hernandez — not because of him necessarily, but they likely wouldn’t take any prep righties in the top 10. Because of that, a consensus top-tier talent might make it to the Reds at No. 9 if he doesn’t go third or sixth. If he makes it this far, it would set up the Reds to begin the draft with a steal — but if they don’t get him, which direction will they go?
There will be a few solid prep position players to choose from (Billy Carlson, Steele Hall, Gavin Fien) and a few college players (Ike Irish, Kyson Witherspoon), but there is also actually a decent chance that Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle runs into a similar issue to the one Hernandez could face and makes it all the way to the No. 9 pick. Either Doyle or Hernandez would both be great outcomes for the Reds.
Day 1 picks: No. 10, No. 44, No. 76
Bonus pool: $12,169,100
One big question: Will the White Sox hit pay dirt with another high schooler with one of their top two picks?
Chicago is picking in a spot where it will have some prep options for its first pick — JoJo Parker, Billy Carlson and Steele Hall are rumored to be in the mix — though there’s also at least as many college players who could also be considered.
Chicago has also been tied to prep lefty Kruz Schoolcraft and there’s a shot the White Sox could float him to their second pick with a big bonus, which might fit better with an underslot choice at their first pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 11, No. 48
Bonus pool: $10,563,500
One big question: Can the A’s take continue to successfully find value with college players?
The A’s did well in the 2021 draft, landing four big leaguers with their first four picks — Max Muncy, Zack Gelof, Mason Miller and Denzel Clarke — and none of them were consensus values for where they were picked. The 2022 class was a little more mixed, but they found two steals on the college side in Colby Thomas in the third round and Jack Perkins in the fifth round. 2023 was also mixed but was headlined by Jacob Wilson. 2024 has been another home run so far, with Nick Kurtz already in the big leagues, Gage Jump not far behind and Tommy White also playing well.
There is a clear trend of finding value with college players and the A’s are rumored to be looking at college position players, including Arizona OF Brendan Summerhill and SS Wehiwa Aloy at their top pick this year.
Day 1 picks: No. 12, No. 52,, No. 84
Bonus pool: $10,991,300
One big question: How often will the Rangers take risks?
In recent years, the Rangers have followed consensus rankings or played it safe with their higher picks, then taken some risks later in the draft.
In 2024, they started with three left-handed hitting college players with low-to-medium upside then took a player who has already had success with their first prep pick in Devin Fitz-Gerald.
Somewhat similarly in 2023, they took the best guy on the board in Wyatt Langford, then with no second or third round picks, still hit paydirt in the fifth round (Alejandro Rosario), sixth round (Caden Scarborough), and 11th round (Maxton Martin). I’d argue taking Kumar Rocker third overall in 2022 was risky and that has worked out.
The board is lining, up so the Rangers will likely choose from the second tier of players which will mean deciding between a range of different upsides: low (Ike Irish, Gavin Kilen), medium (Kyson Witherspoon, Wehiwa Aloy, Brendan Summerhill, Gavin Fien) and high (Steele Hall, Gage Wood).
Day 1 picks: No. 13, No. 85
Bonus pool: $8,403,300
One big question: How will new president of baseball ops Buster Posey impact the draft strategy?
Under scouting director Michael Holmes, the Giants have tended toward either higher upside, standout athletic testers (Bryce Eldridge, Walker Martin, Reggie Crawford, Dakota Jordan) or going underslot (last year’s top pick James Tibbs, now with the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade) at high picks.
Posey’s point of view tends to be more traditional, so he’s not expected to influence a change in draft strategy. Steele Hall and Wehiwa Aloy fit the athletic tester criteria well, and you could argue Kyson Witherspoon and Gavin Fien do, too.
Day 1 picks: No. 14, No. 37, No. 42, No. 53, No. 67, No. 86
Bonus pool: $16,699,400
One big question: How will the Rays utilize their extra picks?
The Rays have leaned hard into position players, particularly switch- and left-handed hitters, with plenty of high schoolers and some higher-upside collegiates with their top picks of late.
Brendan Summerhill, Jace Laviolette and Gavin Kilen are all fits on the college side for their first pick while preps Sean Gamble, Jaden Fauske, Dean Moss, Mason Ligenza and JoJo’s brother, Jacob Parker, all fit, mostly for later picks. Steele Hall is the one right-handed hitter tied to the Rays’ first pick. I’d expect them to end up with a few of these players given their number of early picks.
Day 1 picks: No. 15, No. 33, No. 75, No. 87
Bonus pool: $12,409,300
One big question: Will the Red Sox find more value at their early picks or in the middle rounds?
The Sox have drafted well of late, finding pretty immediate arrow-up types in Payton Tolle (2nd round) and Brandon Clarke (5th) last year, Kristian Campbell (4th compensation) and Connelly Early (5th) in 2023, along with Roman Anthony (2nd compensation) and Chase Meidroth (4th) in 2022.
They haven’t done poorly with their top picks — Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel were their last two first-rounders and headlined the Garrett Crochet trade along with Meidroth — but it’s harder to hit a value home run with a first-round pick when expectations are already so high.
If the Sox can nail their first-rounder this year and then continue this trend of finding quick wins with two more middle-rounders, it will be a boon to the top farm system in baseball just as Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are likely to graduate.
I would project that both of those players will graduate in the next month (like Kristian Campbell, Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts did earlier in the year) and will drop the Red Sox farm sharply, into the middle tier of systems. For what it’s worth, those five alone would easily be a top 10 farm system, possibly top five.
Day 1 picks: No. 16, No. 36, No. 54, No. 88
Bonus pool: $12,653,000
One big question: Which high upside arm will they hand out a big bonus to this time?
The Twins have given at least $1.5 million to either a high school pitcher or one with a short college track record each of the past four years: Dasan Hill in 2024, Charlee Soto in 2023, Connor Prielipp in 2022 and Chase Petty in 2021.
The only fit for their first pick is Gage Wood, while there are a number of options in the second or third round: Landon Harmon, Cam Appenzeller, Aiden Stillman, Miguel Sime Jr. and Angel Cervantes. The Twins have been tied more so to position players, including Jaden Fauske, Charles Davalan, Jace Laviolette and Xavier Neyens.
Day 1 picks: No. 17, No. 56, No. 90
Bonus pool: $9,636,800
One big question: Do they continue targeting power arms and bats at their high picks?
In the past three seasons, the Cubs have tended toward power-oriented position players (Cam Smith, Cole Mathis, Matt Shaw) and power arms (Jaxon Wiggins, Cade Horton, Nazier Mule) with their bigger bonuses.
There are some solid options this year who are tied to the Cubs in Arkansas teammates Wehiwa Aloy and Gage Wood. Josh Hammond, Xavier Neyens and Jace Laviolette would also fit.
Day 1 picks: No. 18, No. 29, No. 92
Bonus pool: $10,917,800
One big question: Do they continue to target hit-first, up-the-middle bats?
The D-backs are commonly tied to Slater de Brun, Caden Bodine, Kayson Cunningham and Gavin Kilen given their history of taking compactly built position players such as Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Slade Caldwell.
With two picks in the top 30, they’ll have a couple chances and could conceivably land two of the four players mentioned above, maybe even if they just play it straight, with the college players likely not making it to Pick 29, but at least one of the prep hitters likely will.
Day 1 picks: No. 19, No. 30, No. 31, No. 58, No. 69, No. 93
Bonus pool: $16,513,100
One big question: Will the Orioles keep stacking up athletic position players?
The O’s have leaned heavily into up-the-middle position players with some power/athleticism in the draft. That profile describes their first four picks in 2024, first two picks in 2023, first four picks in 2022 and first three picks in 2021.
There is a lack of impact pitching on the big league team and at the higher levels of the farm system (though there is solid depth of big-league-caliber arms in the system), and their first pick is a chance to get a potential impact arm.
They do have a number of picks, so they’ll likely still dip into the group of position players who fit their drafting history: Xavier Neyens, Jace Laviolette, Wehiwa Aloy, Josh Hammond, Dax Kilby, Cam Cannarella and Slater de Brun.
Day 1 picks: No. 20, No. 32, No. 59, No. 68, No. 94
Bonus pool: $13,138,100
One big question: Where will the Brewers find value this year?
The Brew Crew have a somewhat unique approach to the draft, often finding value in later rounds. 2024 fourth-rounder Marco Dinges and 12th-rounder Tyson Hardin are arrow up from last year’s group. And the 2023 haul from the later rounds was huge: sixth-rounder Cooper Pratt, eighth-rounder Craig Yoho, 11th-rounder Bishop Letson, 13th-rounder Brett Wichrowski and 15th-rounder Josh Adamczewski. From their 2022 draft, fourth-rounder Matthew Wood and 12th-rounder Luke Adams are arrow-up prospects along with a second-rounder you might have heard of: Jacob Misiorowski.
Milwaukee aggressively pursues lesser-known high school players, often for six-figure bonuses and from the Upper Midwest, while also finding undervalued players in junior colleges and high school players who have fallen for unclear reasons. By nature, that is harder to predict before the draft, but some names they’re tied to fit these trends: Charles Davalan, Brady Ebel, Coy James and Ethan Rogers.
Day 1 picks: No. 21, No. 95
Bonus pool: $7,181,500
One big question: What type of middle-rounder will the Astros find value with this year?
Junior college shortstop Caden Powell, last year’s sixth-rounder, has been arrow up this year as an athletic-testing standout with big tools. In 2023, the Astros targeted toolsy, underscouted high schoolers in shortstop Chase Jaworsky and outfielder Nehomar Ochoa Jr. along with juco catcher Will Bush. In 2022, they found value from four-year colleges with RHP AJ Blubaugh (seventh round) and Zach Dezenzo (12th round).
Xavier Neyens and Tate Southisene are connected to the Astros’ first pick, but keep an eye on Micah Bucknam and Matt Ferraro in the third or fourth round.
Day 1 picks: No. 22, No. 60, No. 96
Bonus pool: $9,081,100
One big question: Will the Braves continue to use their top picks to stockpile arms?
The Braves have taken pitchers with at least their first three picks in each of the past four drafts. They’re tied to more arms this year — Gage Wood and Tyler Bremner get mentioned at their first pick, along with a number of position players — but will they continue this trend when roughly 75% of the top of their farm system is pitchers?
This is a great opportunity to reverse that trend and select a position player with their first pick, as the pool of best available talent is likely to be about 75% position players.
Day 1 picks: No. 23, No. 28, No. 61, No. 71, No. 97
Bonus pool: $12,794,700
One big question: How will the Royals handle their five picks on Day 1?
The Royals have their full complement of picks plus a compensation pick after the second round and a pick after the first round gained because of Bobby Witt Jr.‘s AL MVP runner-up finish.
Scouting director Brian Bridges loves to draft high school pitchers and upside in general, and his first draft in Kansas City is already showing dividends with his first two picks, Jac Caglianone and David Shields.
Like division mate Detroit with the next pick, the Royals are tied to a number of players as they prepare for all the different ways they could play their picks based on how things go ahead of them.
Their early picks have been tied to most prep pitchers, headlined by Aaron Watson, Kruz Schoolcraft, and Matthew Fisher along with some college arms such as Anthony Eyanson. That said, the board is giving them position players, particularly at their first pick, so the pitchers may be collected more down the board instead.
Day 1 picks: No. 24, No. 34, No. 62, No. 98
Bonus pool: $10,990,800
One big question: Will the Tigers hit paydirt with another left-handed-hitting prep position player?
Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle have all been immediate hits in pro ball for the Tigers after being taken with first-round picks in the past two drafts.
There are some candidates to continue the trend when the Tigers pick at 24 and 34, including Kayson Cunningham, Jaden Fauske, Slater de Brun and Sean Gamble, though the Tigers have also been tied to Michael Oliveto (may fit better in the second round) and Coy James (right-handed hitter).
When a team has two early picks, it often gets tied to lots of players because, in different scenarios, it could go over or under slot or high school or college or hitter or pitcher at each spot. Anthony Eyanson, Aaron Watson and J.B. Middleton are some of the pitchers the Tigers have been tied to, and keep an eye on Jaiden LoRe (another right-handed-hitting shortstop) as a target at a later pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 25, No. 99
Bonus pool: $6,569,100
One big question: Can the Padres still land multiple players with big upside with the third-lowest bonus pool?
The Padres’ first two picks have been high school players in each of the past eight drafts — since the 2016 draft when they took Cal Quantrill out of Stanford with their first pick. They’re once again tied to a number of high-upside high school players.
Kruz Schoolcraft and Quentin Young are the two most rumored fits — but also Dax Kilby and Kayson Cunningham who have more medium upsides. It’s reasonable to assume San Diego takes one of those players with its first pick, possibly under slot, to then move those potential savings plus its overage into its next pick, which would give the team a seven-figure budget at No. 99. The Padres are one team on Maryland prep SS Will Rhine, who could fit the bill at their second pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 26, No. 63, No. 100
Bonus pool: $7,849,400
One big question: Will the Phillies continue to take high school players with their high picks?
The Phillies made the most surprising first-round pick last year, taking Dante Nori at the 27th pick. Their next-highest bonus went to another prep center fielder, Griffin Burkholder, while their top three bonuses in 2023 also went to prep position players and their top pick in 2022 was a prep position player. They found solid value in 2021 and 2020 taking prep right-handers with their top picks, so it’s a safe bet the Phillies will take a high school player with their first pick this year.
There are a number of prep position players who could fit for their first pick (Kayson Cunningham, Xavier Neyens, Quentin Young, Sean Gamble, Slater de Brun) but also a handful of prep pitchers, with Matthew Fisher the one connected to Philly the most.
Day 1 picks: No. 27, No. 64, No. 66, No. 70, No. 101
Bonus pool: $10,198,100
One big question: Which high school pitcher will the Guardians take this year?
The Guardians can be classified as value shoppers, but have also invested seven figures in one prep arm in each of the past three drafts. RHP Seth Hernandez won’t make it to their first pick, but he may be the only one of this year’s top prep arms off the board, while picking at 64, 66, 70 and 101 on the first day gives them plenty of chances and bonus money to maneuver. Judging from their history, Aaron Watson, Cameron Appenzeller and Miguel Sime Jr. are the most likely targets.
Day 1 picks: No. 38, No. 102
Bonus pool: $5,465,900
One big question: Is there enough depth in the Mets’ upper minors that they will lean into high schoolers with their first few picks?
The Mets’ upper minors depth is impressive right now, with Jett Williams, Francisco Alvarez, Drew Gilbert, Jacob Riemer, Luisangel Acuna and Ryan Clifford leading the way behind Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio in the big leagues.
On the pitching side, they have Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell, Dom Hamel and the injured Christian Scott ready to contribute this year or next.
This young depth around the big league team could allow them to lean into high schoolers and high-variance talent with the second-lowest bonus pool in the draft.
Day 1 picks: No. 39, No. 103
Bonus pool: $5,383,600
One big question: With the lowest bonus pool in the draft, can the Yankees replenish the farm system?
The Yankees were missing their second- and fifth-round picks in the 2023 draft and are missing their second rounder this year in addition to having their first-round selection moved down 10 picks because of CBT spending.
In 2023, the Yankees’ first pick was George Lombard Jr., one of the better prospects in baseball and they found some value at later picks but no clear home runs, yet.
Their first pick this year is where we hit the tail end of the 45 FV tier of players in my rankings, meaning there’s some late-first-round-caliber upside still available with high schoolers such as 2B Sean Gamble, CF Slater de Brun and SS Tate Southisene, or one of the college pitchers with some relief risk such as righties Riley Quick, Patrick Forbes and Marcus Phillips.
Day 1 picks: No. 40, No. 41, No. 65, No. 104
Bonus pool: $9,031,300
One big question: Do the Dodgers take a big swing at one of their comp picks?
The Dodgers have been forced to be creative in the draft because they are usually either picking near the end of each round and/or missing picks because of free agent signings. They’ve mixed in plenty of college players, but have tended to take high schoolers with their first-round picks.
This year, they’re tied to the most high-variance prospect in this year’s draft, prep infielder Quentin Young, and a few others who fit later in the draft, such as Mason Ligenza.
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Ryan McGee
“Appreciate you, young man.”
With all due respect to “Not so fast, my friend,” those aren’t the words that first come to my mind when I think of Lee Corso, who will be making his final “College GameDay” appearance Saturday at Ohio State. Instead, it’s that first sentence. Because those are the first words I ever heard from Coach. Well, the first I heard in person.
By the time he said that to me, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 1994, I had already heard him say so many words, but always through a television speaker. I had been watching him on ESPN for seven years. When “College GameDay” debuted on Sept. 5, 1987, I was a high school student living in a college football-crazed house in Greenville, South Carolina. My father was an ACC football official and my role at the house was to get up Saturday mornings and make sure the VCR was rolling on Dad’s game that day so he could break down the film when we got home from church on Sunday.
Then, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a new ESPN studio show, previewing all of the day’s college football games, including wherever Pops might be with his whistle. It was called “College GameDay,” and that night in the same studio, the crew was back with highlights of all those games. It was hosted by Tim Brando, whom we knew from “SportsCenter,” with analysis provided by human college football computer Beano Cook and … wait … was that the guy who used to coach at Indiana? The last time we saw him, wasn’t he coaching the Orlando Renegades to a 5-13 record during the dying days of the USFL?
Brando tells the story of Corso’s ESPN audition, how the then-52-year-old looked at his would-be broadcast partner and said, “Sweetheart, I’m here for the duration. This show is going to be the trigger for your career and my career. I’m going to be the Dick Vitale of college football. Football doesn’t have one. And this show is going to be my vehicle.”
That vehicle shifted into drive and stayed there, even as “College GameDay” remained parked in Bristol, Connecticut. Eventually, Brando moved on and wunderkind Chris Fowler took over as host. They were joined by former running back Craig James, who was nicknamed the “Pony Patriot” because of his college tenure at SMU and his NFL stint in New England. But that’s not what Coach called him. He addressed James as “Mustang Breath.”
That was the formative years “GameDay” lineup that I consumed so hungrily during my college days in Knoxville, Tennessee. My roommates and I rose groggily on Saturday mornings to see if Corso picked our Vols to win that day before stumbling out the dorm doors to grab a cheeseburger and head to the Neyland Stadium student section. If he said Tennessee was going to win, we declared him a genius. If he said the Vols were going to lose, we would scream, “What the hell do you know?! You only lasted one year at Northern Illinois!” That night, pizza in hand, we would watch him on the scoreboard show and again shout at the television. It was either “Spot on, Coach!” or “Hey Coach, not so fast, my friend!”
Those were the autumns of the early 1990s. Just as Coach had predicted, “College GameDay” had indeed been a trigger. And he indeed was becoming the face of the sport he loved so much. At home, we could feel that love because we recognized it. We loved college football, too. Whether Corso picked your team or not, his passion for the sport was indisputable. That created a connection. Like seeing the same friends every Saturday, the ones whose season tickets have always been next to yours. Or the tailgater who has always parked in the spot next to you, offering up a beer and rack of ribs. Or the guy you happen to meet as you are both bellied up to a sports bar on Saturday to watch college football games. All of them.
In a business full of phony, Lee Corso has always been the genuine article. And in a world full of awful, Lee Corso has always been fun. All at once so irresistibly relatable, but also larger than life.
So, now, imagine my through-the-looking-glass moment of that first time I heard him speak to me directly. That October Saturday in 1994. I was an entry-level ESPN production assistant, barely one year out from those dorm days at Tennessee. I was also barely five years from bowls of cereal back in our Greenville family room, labeling a VHS tape for my father while watching Corso break down what he thought might happen in Dad’s game.
“Appreciate you, young man.”
My assignment that day was to cut and script a highlight of my alma mater as the Vols hosted No. 19 Washington State. The headliner play was a long touchdown run by wideout Nilo Silvan on a reverse pitch from some kid named Peyton Manning. But the quiet play that really handed the Vols the upset was a fourth-down conversion early in the fourth quarter, when a 1-yard Manning run earned the first down by barely an inch, all while still in Tennessee territory. That set up a field goal that ended up sealing the 10-9 win.
Back then, every ESPN highlight was produced in a converted basement room crammed with tape machines and filled with the noise of 20-somethings like me, scrambling in and out of the edit rooms that lined what we called “screening.” When you were done piecing together your one-minute tape and scribbling out a handwritten script, you ran out of that edit room and down the hallway to the tape room and TV studio to deliver it all.
As we were about to pop my Tennessee-Wazzu tape for the delivery dash, the door to our edit suite opened. It was Lee Corso. Without us knowing it, he had been watching through the window to see what plays we had included in our highlight. Without saying a word, he pointed at my script — called a “shot sheet” — and motioned for me to hand it to him. He read it, flipped it around so it was facing me and used his finger to tap the box describing that decidedly non-sexy fourth-quarter fourth-down conversion.
“Appreciate you, young man.”
Then he continued.
“I came down here to make sure you had this play in there. That was the play of the game. If we hadn’t had that play in this highlight for me to talk about, then I would have looked like a dummy. And I don’t need any help in that department, do I?”
He squeezed the shoulders of my editor, the guy at the wheel of the machinery.
“I appreciate you, too.”
Then he walked out into the furious racket of screening and shouted through the aroma cloud of sweat and pizza, “How we doing, troops!”
Someone shouted back, “How was Nebraska, Coach?” A reminder that this was the first year that “College GameDay” had hit the road. They went out once in ’93, to Notre Dame, as a test. It went well, so they were headed out six times in ’94. Just two weeks earlier, they had gone to Lincoln, the show’s third-ever road trip.
He replied: “Lot of corn and big corn-fed dudes!”
Another shout: “You excited about going to Florida State-Miami next week, Coach?”
“Let’s hope it goes better than when I played there!” A reminder that the Florida State defensive back they called the “Sunshine Scooter,” who held the FSU record for career interceptions (14) for decades, was a career 0-2 against the Hurricanes in Miami.
Before Coach scooted back down the hall to the studio, he said it again. This time to the entire room of kids desperately trying to find their way in the TV sports business.
“I appreciate y’all!”
That was more than three decades ago. And whenever I recall that story, it is echoed back to me by every single person who was in that screening room with me back in the day. And the people who first went out on the road with “College GameDay” in the mid-1990s. And the people who are out there with the show today.
In so many cases, it’s the same people. Jim Gaiero, the current producer of “GameDay,” was also down in screening back in the day. The group that produced the incredible “Not So Fast, My Friend” ESPN documentary was led by a handful of Emmy-award-winning feature producers who also were down in the pit, and also were recipients of so many “appreciate you’s.”
It is impossible to measure the impact of someone like Corso, the face of his sport, taking those moments to encourage, to mentor, and to, yes, coach. That’s not common. But neither is he.
On the morning of the 2024 Rose Bowl, the College Football Playoff semifinal between Alabama and Michigan, I was sitting with Coach just before he headed out to the “GameDay” set. I shared with him that story from ’94 and told him how much it had always meant to me. He replied: “Winning games is great. But any real coach will tell you that isn’t the best part of the job. It’s watching those that you coached-up as kids, seeing them grow into adults, have great jobs and raise great families. That’s why you do it.”
Lee Corso spends every Saturday surrounded by those he has coached. And that’s why it has been and will be so hard to say goodbye. It’s why there was never an icicle’s chance in Phoenix that Corso was going to be off the show after he suffered a stroke. It’s why he was still part of the show in 2020, when COVID-19 had him stuck at home in Florida as the rest of the crew was back on the road. It’s why he has been on the show ever since it was born, even as it has grown from a few guys in a studio to a few dozen fans behind the stage on the road to the rock concert circus caravan that it is today. Exactly what Coach believed it could be when he showed up for that first audition 38 years ago.
Love. That’s why.
You see it in the eyes of those who work on the show. The way they look out for him. The way they still hang on every word he says. We all see it very publicly when we watch Kirk Herbstreit. It’s hard to remember when we see the current Herbie, the father-of-three statesman of the sport, but when he first joined “College GameDay” in 1996, he had just turned 27, less than four years out of Ohio State. When Kirk posts those early Saturday morning videos of Coach sharing a story or Coach pulling a prank or Coach cracking himself up as he tries to figure out how to navigate an overly complicated escalator, we all feel that. Just as we have felt that since the first countdown to the first “College GameDay” on Sept. 5, 1987.
Not so fast? It has gone by too fast. But what a friend.
Appreciate you, Coach.
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David Hale
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Gio Lopez will be North Carolina‘s starting quarterback on Monday against TCU when the Tar Heels officially kick off the Bill Belichick era.
Belichick announced the former South Alabama QB as the starter, saying Lopez has made good strides in adapting to the Tar Heels’ playbook since joining the team following the spring transfer portal window.
“We’ll give him the majority of the reps in practice and get him as much preparation as possible,” Belichick said. “But I feel comfortable with him and what he’s doing. He’ll get better as we go forward just because we will. I think he’s ready, but I think he’ll be like everybody — more ready as we go forward.”
Last season at South Alabama, Lopez completed 66% of his throws for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and 5 picks, along with another 463 yards rushing and seven scores.
Lopez entered the portal this spring and quickly found a home in Chapel Hill. He beat out veteran Max Johnson, who was recovering from a broken leg suffered in UNC’s opener at Minnesota last year.
Belichick said he expects Johnson and freshman Bryce Baker to be ready to play, despite naming Lopez the starter.
Lopez said he learned of the starting nod just minutes before Belichick announced it publicly, saying it was a surreal moment.
“He told me I looked good during fall camp and that I was going to take the reins of the offense,” Lopez said. “I was talking to my dad like, ‘Man, I’m going to be Coach Belichick’s first starting quarterback in college.'”
Receiver Jordan Shipp said Lopez had already endeared himself to teammates and, thanks to his improvisational style, had earned the nickname “Magic Johnson.”
“He makes every play, makes every throw no matter where,” Shipp said. “Having a quarterback like that is a big opportunity for big plays. He gets out of the pocket, and I know he has trust in me.”
UNC hosts TCU on Monday in Belichick’s college debut, and while he said the experience won’t be markedly different from his time in the NFL, there will almost certainly be some surprises as he gets to see his team in real game action.
“There are some things you kind of feel good about and some questions about,” Belichick said, “and as things unfold, you find out how good you feel about the things you felt good about and the things you were worried about. It’s not always the same. When you practice against yourself, or even preseason games in the NFL, it’s low-level. When you get ready to play a game, nothing’s held back. They game-plan you and try to exploit your weaknesses and attack you where they feel like they can cause you problems.”
North Carolina has turned over a sizable portion of its roster from last season, bringing in more than 70 new faces, including 30 transfers following spring ball.
Belichick said that he has been comfortable with what he has seen from his team in most areas throughout fall camp but that he expects adjustments will be needed in the coming weeks.
“By the time you get to that third or fourth week, you’re exposed one way or another,” Belichick said. “What it looks like against another team that plays differently than you do, which TCU does, our evaluation against TCU and how we play against ourselves could be very different.”
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