There wasn’t much mystery where ESPN’s College GameDay crew would head for Week 7, with an elite Big Ten matchup taking place in Eugene between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks.
Two top five teams, squaring off as new conference rivals, in a rowdy Autzen Stadium environment, where the winner likely vaults near the top of the College Football Playoff conversation is a perfect recipe for GameDay.
The GameDay crew has been to Eugene quite a bit historically, and has had a long list of prominent Oregon alumni and superfans to choose from when picking the celebrity guest picker. Most recently the honor went to WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, which happened last season against UCLA.
Ionescu isn’t an option this year, with the New York Liberty in the WNBA playoffs, one of many former players who would be fantastic picks but due to scheduling conflicts won’t be the ones sitting with the GameDay crew on Saturday.
Who it won’t be
As great as it would be to see some legendary recent alumni, scheduling conflicts almost certainly take most of them out of the running. The list of notable Oregon alumni who fans should not expect to see on Gameday includes:
Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York Liberty
Justin Herbert, Quarterback, Los Angeles Chargers
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Washington Commanders
Bo Nix, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
Payton Pritchard, Guard, Boston Celtics
Dillon Brooks, Forward, Houston Rockets
Now let’s discuss who could get the call to make some picks on Saturday, starting with former players:
Former Football Players
Jonathan Stewart – Running Back
Stewart was a legendary back at Oregon who had an outstanding NFL career, earning a Pro Bowl nod while rushing for over 7,000 yards in an 11-year career spent almost entirely with Carolina. Stewart is now getting into the media world, hosting podcasts and a show on the Golf Channel, so this seems like an obvious fit.
Kenjon Barner – Running Back
Barner was on three Super Bowl winning teams across an eight year NFL career. He was also one of the most prolific runners in Oregon history, and his recent foray into the sports media world makes him another strong candidate to be guest picker, much like Stewart.
Joey Harrington – Quarterback
One of the most beloved Oregon players of all-time, Harrington would be a perfect representative for the Ducks on GameDay.
De’Anthony Thomas – Running Back
Thomas was one of the most exciting players in the country while playing college ball at Oregon. Nicknamed Black Mamba while playing Pop Warner in Snoop Dogg’s youth league, Thomas was All Pac-12 First Team in 2011 and also an All-American in track as part of Oregon’s 4×100 relay team.
While his NFL career was primarily as a return specialist, his legendary status would make him a strong guest picker.
Other Options
Ty Burrell – Actor
The Modern Family star has long been known as a Oregon fan, recently narrating a documentary about the Ducks during training camp. Burrell is an obvious choice as an instantly recognizable face and ambassador for the Oregon program.
Kaitlin Olson – Actress
The longtime star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has a new show on ABC called High Potential, and an opportunity to have the actress from Oregon on GameDay to cross promote is hard to ignore – plus her sense of humor would make for great television.
Neil Everett – Former ESPN anchor
Howzit! Everett is perhaps the most famous Oregon alumni in the sports media space, and would provide a perfect blend of humor and sports talk on GameDay if given the invite.
Ashton Eaton – Olympic Gold Medalist
The athlete who helped put Tracktown, USA on the map, Eaton is one of the greatest athletes in the world. The two-time Gold Medalist also held the world record in the decathlon and has long represented Oregon athletics well – making him a strong choice for guest picker.