Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three star in the brand-new College GameDay opening, which made its debut on Saturday, September 2 on ESPN.
The clip features previous College GameDay opening stars Big & Rich cruising in a topless Bronco tuning the station to College GameDay.
Watch Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three’s College GameDay Opening Below
As they turn the music up, the clip then shifts focus to Rucker, Wilson, and The Cadillac Three who appear on stage leading a massive tailgate celebration in honor of college football.
The artists then join forces to perform “Comin’ To Your City,” which has served as the College GameDay theme song for nearly two decades.
The performance video goes on to show shots of the artists on stage intertwined with videos of fans tailgating, clips from ESPN College GameDay, and scenes from previous college football games.
Replaced Big & Rich As New Voices Of College GameDay
College GameDay revealed that Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three would be replacing Big & Rich as the new voices of College GameDay on Monday, August 28.
To reveal the exciting news, the official social media for the show shared a video that featured the trio of country stars sharing what it means to them to be the voices of College GameDay.
“It means a lot to be the voice of College GameDay. I’ll tell you what, I’ve got some very impressed family members now. When I called them and I told them about this they were like, ‘Alright, she’s really doing something now,’” Wilson quipped.
As an avid sports fan, this opportunity is a dream come true for Rucker.
“I’ve watched that opening so many times. I used to sit in my room and go, ‘I gotta write a song so I can get to the opening of GameDay. It’s pretty amazing,” he said.
The Cadillac Three shared, “We look forward to it on the bus…it’s always on.”
Big & Rich Will No Longer Be Voices Of College GameDay
The news comes after Big & Rich revealed that they wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming season of College GameDay on August 24.
“College GameDay, it’s been an honor. Time to officially pass the torch after 16 incredible years!” Big & Rich captioned the clip.
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In the video, John and Kenny are seated in director chairs revealing that after nearly two decades they are ready to hand over the reins to someone else.
“It’s been a great 16 years, being the voices of the College GameDay open,” Big Kenny said before John Rich adds, “And now we’re excited to officially pass the torch to these extremely talented artists.”
“Comin’ to Your City” is the title track of Big & Rich’s second studio album. The song was released to country radio in September 2005 and climbed to No.21 on the U.S. radio charts. The version that appears on ESPN’s College GameDay includes shout outs to several college football teams, which does not appear in the original recording of the song.
37th Season
Additionally, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot returned for its 37th season and 30th season on the road on September 2 at Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game featured the North Carolina Tar Heels facing off against the South Carolina Gamecocks for the Battle of the Carolinas. The Tar Heels ultimately won the game.
For more information on College GameDay, visit their official website HERE.
