The ESPN “College GameDay” crew heads to Bloomington, Indiana, for the first time in program history in Week 9. The undefeated Indiana Hoosiers will play host to the Washington Huskies on Saturday.
It will be a return to his former school for Lee Corso, who coached at Indiana for nine seasons (1973-1982) and led the team to a Holiday Bowl victory in 1979.
Corso would make an excellent celebrity guest picker if he wasn’t already a core member of the GameDay crew, but that leaves the ESPN producers a litany of other Indiana alumni and fans to choose from for Saturday’s show.
Before we look at who could be selected, let’s eliminate a few unlikely options, due to potential scheduling conflicts.
Recent men’s basketball All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis is with the Golden State Warriors, who have a preseason game in Utah on Oct. 25 and a home game on Oct. 27. Squeezing a trip to Bloomington on the off day is possible, but rather unlikely as he prepares for his second NBA season.
Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson is an unlikely pick with the Hoosiers facing the Tennessee Volunteers in a charity exhibition game on Sunday in Knoxville.
Here are some former Indiana athletes who could be on the set on Saturday in Bloomington:
Former Players
Indiana doesn’t have a bunch of iconic football alumni, but former quarterback Antwaan Randle El is a name to keep an eye on. Randle El was an elite running quarterback while with the Hoosiers and parlayed that into a productive NFL career as a wide receiver and return specialist.
He is the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, who are at home the Sunday after GameDay. A quick trip from Detroit to Bloomington and back is certainly doable and would put one of the Hoosiers most notable football alumni back in the public eye.
Our next four options are all from Indiana’s most notable sport: men’s basketball.
First we have Eric Gordon, who is with the Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia plays in Toronto on Oct. 25 and on Sunday, Oct. 27 … in Indiana. That makes a quick stop in Bloomington a possibility for the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2008 Big Ten Rookie of the Year.
Next is Victor Oladipo, who enjoyed a lengthy NBA career after earning an All-America nod as a junior at Indiana in 2012-13. Oladipo works for ESPN as an analyst, which might take him out of the running, but he is one of the most recognizable modern Indiana alumni.
Isiah Thomas might be the most obvious choice. The NBA Hall of Famer is widely considered one of the greatest point guards the game has seen. He led Indiana to a national championship en route to All-American honors in 1981. As an analyst for NBA TV, Thomas is familiar with the TV game and would make a great celebrity guest picker.
Steve Alford is another former Indiana point guard who led the team to a national championship while earning All-American honors. Alford is the head coach of the Nevada Wolfpack, and with the hoops season about to begin he may not have the time to step away for a day. But, he’d be a fun and engaging celebrity for the show if given the opportunity.
Finally, we turn to the diamond to discuss Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber is a two-time MLB All-Star whose team was recently eliminated from the playoffs. He has a goofy personality and would be a blast to watch next to Pat McAfee, if he were willing to return to Bloomington as the guest picker.
Other Alumni
ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck attended Indiana. While he did not graduate, his extensive experience behind the mic could make him a fun choice as celebrity guest picker – allowing him to let loose a little in a different setting than he typically finds himself.
“Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” may be off the air, but actor Jonathan Banks is still a recognizable figure for playing the character Mike Ehrmantraut in both shows. An Indiana alumni, seeing Banks outside of his iconic character could be a fun change of pace for the GameDay crew.
We saw an actress picked already this season when Kaitlin Olson was in town for the Oregon–Ohio State game, but perhaps GameDay will do it once more with Sarah Clarke. Clarke is known for her roles on “24,” and “Covert Affairs,” as well as playing Bella Swan’s mother in the “Twilight” movies.