ESPN’s College Gameday is coming to Knoxville this week as Tennessee football prepares for a rivalry clash against Georgia at Neyland Stadium. Whenever College Gameday chooses its weekly destination, the question is who they will choose for their celebrity guest picker.
WWE star Bianca Belair and Peyton Manning were the celebrity guest pickers when College Gameday came to Knoxville for the Vols’ matchups against Florida and Alabama in 2022. ESPN could bring either back but who are other top options. Taking a look at six here.
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Dolly Parton
The queen of East Tennessee, Parton has long supported the University of Tennessee and even briefly performed on the field when Tennessee hosted Georgia in 2023. Parton’s rendition of “Rocky Top” is supremely popular.
ESPN has reportedly reached out to Parton about being the guest picker in the past and she has not been interested. Maybe they’ll give it another try and she’ll agree this time.
Tramell Tillman
Tillman is most well known for his role as Seth Milchick on Apple TV’s hit show Severance. His performance earned him a nomination for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Emmy’s. Tillman was also in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning earlier this year.
A Maryland native, Tillman earned a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee in 2014 after attending Jackson State for his undergraduate degree. On College Gameday, Tillman could tell Georgia to devour feculence.
Rick Barnes
Tennessee awarded its head basketball coach a lifetime contract last month and the 71-year old is one of the faces of not only the athletic department but of the university. Barnes is quick witted and a storyteller. Both qualities translate well to College Gameday.
A 38-yard college basketball coaching veteran with 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, Barnes is a major college sports name.
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Candace Parker
Parker is one of the best women’s basketball players of all time and led Tennessee to its last two national championships back in 2007 and 2008. She is a NBA and college basketball analyst for Turner Sports which helps in a television role.
The three-time WNBA champion has frequently returned to Rocky Top in recent years as her playing career has winded down and helped promote Tennessee athletics’ upcoming apparel move to adidas.
Tony Vitello
Tennessee baseball’s national championship winning coach is a public relations and television star. He went on College Gameday when they came to town in 2023 and could step into a bigger role this time around.
The only knock on having Vitello is that he’s a young coach who should be at Tennessee for the foreseeable future— meaning there will be plenty of opportunities to get him back on the show.
Morgan Wallen
Wallen is one of the most popular country music artists in the world and the Gibbs High School alum is an outspoken Tennessee fan.
The university has heavily partnered themselves with Wallen in recent years. The artist played two concerts at Neyland Stadium last fall and his song “The Way I Talk” is currently the uninspiring end of third quarter song at home games. Wallen is undoubtedly a true Vol fan though, attending the national championship baseball game in Omaha and Tennessee basketball SEC Tournament games.
However, Wallen is playing concerts in Edmonton, Canada next weekend which makes it nearly impossible for him to participate in College Gameday.
