ESPN’s College GameDay will have some major changes this year.
It has been officially confirmed that Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, and The Cadillac Three are now the designated voices for the opening anthem, “Comin’ To Your City.” They are set to open the sequence of Saturday’s games during the approaching fall season.
The announcement was verified through ESPN’s College GameDay social media account on Monday, August 28th.
To celebrate 30 years of GameDay hitting the road, @dariusrucker, @laineywilson and @thecadillac3 are the new voices of our anthem 👏
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 28, 2023
The latest version of "Comin' To Your City" will be here Saturday morning 🎵 pic.twitter.com/7yzpwV7PfI
“To celebrate 30 years of GameDay hitting the road, Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three are the new voices of our anthem,” the post read. “The latest version of “Comin’ To Your City” will be here Saturday morning.”
Accompanying the announcement was a video snippet showcasing Rucker, Wilson, and The Cadillac Three, as they each conveyed why it was significant to them to be the voices behind College GameDay.
Rucker, being a dedicated sports fan, said, “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.”
“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 really doing something now,” Wilson joked.
The Cadillac Three added, “We look forward to it on the bus…it’s always on.”
This news follows Big & Rich’s announcement that they will not be returning for the upcoming season after a 16 year stint.
“College GameDay, it’s been an honor. Time to officially pass the torch after 16 incredible years!” Big & Rich captioned the announcement.
The track “Comin’ to Your City” serves as the title song of Big & Rich’s second studio album. Originally released in September 2005, the rendition featured on ESPN’s College GameDay includes special mentions of various college football teams, a feature not present in the original recording of the song.
Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson, and The Cadillac Three’s fresh interpretation of Big & Rich’s “Comin’ To Your City” is scheduled to debut on Saturday, September 2, as part of College GameDay.
