Five more options for 'College GameDay' guest picker at Tennessee football vs Texas

If not Peyton Manning, then who?

ESPN’s “College GameDay” returns to Knoxville to preview No. 13 Tennessee football (3-0) against No. 1 Texas (3-0) in the Vols’ SEC opener on Sept. 26 (noon ET, ABC) at Neyland Stadium. The show will originate from the lawn of Ayres Hall beginning at 9 a.m. and will move inside the stadium at 11 a.m. for the final hour.

Manning is an obvious choice with his nephew, Arch Manning, leading the Longhorns‘ offense against his alma mater. Other options include Kelsea Ballerini, Candace Parker, Leanne Morgan, Morgan Wallen, Dalton Knecht, Chamique Holdsclaw, Tobias Harris and Kenny Chesney.

In the likely case Manning declines the invite, here are five more options for the guest picker in Knoxville.

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart’s ties to Tennessee are more recent, but he has already been in Knoxville for a football game this season with his son, Hendrix Hart, beginning his freshman year on the Tennessee track and field team. Hart would be an obviously entertaining picker, and fits the bill of higher profile guests that “College GameDay” has brought on so far this season.

Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes may not be as big of a celebrity as other choices, but he’d still be a great pick. Barnes was the coach of the Longhorns from 1998-2015 where he famously coached NBA star Kevin Durant. He was fired in his last season at Texas and hired by Tennessee. Barnes wouldn’t have a problem picking between the Vols and Texas, but his ties to both make him an ideal candidate.

Johnny Knoxville is one of the world’s most recognized stuntmen, which opens up a world of possibilities for a potential appearance on the show. He’s the co-creator of “Jackass,” which released its final film of the franchise this summer. Knoxville returned to South-Doyle High School in July to unveil the brand-new weight room at his alma mater, which was part of his campaign to support local students.

Yes, country music star Ella Langley is from Alabama and attended Auburn for a couple years. But she moved to Nashville in 2019 at age 20 to pursue her music career, and her wildly popular single “Choosin’ Texas” – which would be the perfect bit for this weekend – shows her love for Tennessee, from Memphis to the Smoky Mountains.

Langley is playing at Food City Center on Sept. 24 and has shows schedulyed in Columbus, Ohio, and Moline, Illinois, the next two nights – but planes exist for a reason, right?

Former Tennessee track and field star Bianca Belair, who’s also a Knoxville native, would be a return guest for “College Gameday,” after her appearance on the show for Tennessee vs. Florida on Sept. 24, 2022. Belair is now a WWE star who became the longest-reigning Raw Women’s Champion for 420 days from 2022-23. The Austin-East graduate also just became a mother, welcoming her first child with fellow WWE superstar Montez Ford in August.

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Five more options for ‘College GameDay’ guest picker at Tennessee football vs Texas