Vanderbilt is hosting College GameDay for the first time in 17 years Saturday, and it's celebrating by summoning its most prominent famous fan as a celebrity guest picker.
Comedian Nate Bargatze will make selections alongside the show's usual panel Saturday morning, College GameDay announced Thursday afternoon. It will mark the second appearance on the show for Bargatze, who lent his talents before Alabama's game against LSU in 2023.
Bargatze, 46, was born and raised in and around Nashville. His mother worked in the Commodores' ticket office, while his second cousin played basketball and baseball for Belmont before working as a Vanderbilt assistant men's basketball coach.
The comedian has never been shy about his Commodores fandom, shouting out Vanderbilt on Saturday Night Live after its upset win over Alabama in 2024.
"Vanderbilt does Vanderbilt things in a very Vanderbilt way," Bargatze told Simon Gibbs of The Hustler, the school's newspaper, in 2020. "The good thing about rooting for Vandy is there’s so much stuff you have to go through that you learn a lot. You’re not winning championships unless it’s baseball or the powerhouse women’s bowling team. It’s always these other things. You never do it in the traditional way."
The Commodores, ranked in the Top 10 for the first time since 1947 and sporting a potential Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback in Diego Pavia, play Missouri Saturday.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Announces 'College GameDay' Celebrity Guest Picker for Vanderbilt Visit.
