College football just got a whole lot more country. On Monday (August 28), it was revealed that Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker and The Cadillac Three are the new singers of the theme song for College GameDay, the college football pre-game show that airs on ESPN. Wilson, Rucker and the trio of Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason and Kelby Ray will be singing to the tune of Big & Rich’s “Comin’ to Your City.” The duo of John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin previously performed the GameDay theme song for more than a decade.
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“It means a lot to be the voice of College GameDay,” Wilson says, adding that she has family members back home in Louisiana who are “very impressed.” “When I called them and told them about this they were like, ‘Alright, she’s really doing something now.'”
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As a longtime fan of college football, Rucker says he grew up watching the opening show. “I used to sit in my room and go, ‘I gotta write a song so I get to do the opening of GameDay,'” he praises. “It’s pretty amazing.” The Cadillac Three are also loyal fans of college football and often have it playing on the TV in their tour bus. “I just want to be the first thing people see and hear Saturday morning to get them fired up,” Johnston asserts. “I love what John and Kenny did for years, but it’s pretty cool we got the opportunity to kind of step in and do our version of it, especially with Lainey and Darius.”
“Comin’ to Your City” was written by Rich, Alphin and Paul Worley and is the title track of the duo’s 2005 album. The original version peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while the GameDay adaptation incorporates the names of several college football teams. “It’s been an honor. Time to officially pass the torch after 16 incredible years!” Big & Rich shared on Instagram, calling the three acts “extremely talented artists.”
The new season of College GameDay kicks off on Saturday (September 2) at 9 a.m. ET.
Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
