Football and Lainey Wilson? Sounds like my kind of Saturday.
As we all know, college football season is officially underway, which means that ESPN College GameDay will soon be back on our screens, and certain celebrity guests are busy preparing their picks.
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Per an announcement made by ESPN on Thursday, country singer Lainey Wilson will serve as the first celebrity guest picker of the season on Saturday. This seems fitting, as the country singer and Grammy Award winner is a Louisiana native. She’ll not only make her own picks for the season opener between LSU and Clemson, but will also be bringing a little bit of her world to the football stage.
That’s right, Wilson is also scheduled to perform at Saturday’s game.
Wilson was raised in the small town of Baskin, Louisiana, and started performing at a young age. In August 2011, Wilson moved to Nashville, where she worked on her craft and began releasing projects, including her debut album and, eventually, Tougher in 2016. Over the past several years, Wilson has taken country music by storm, dominating award shows like the CMAs and ACMs, even taking home a Grammy for Best Country Album in 2024.
In 2025, Wilson also became the first woman in more than three decades to solo-host the CMA Awards.
Lainey Wilson’s Got a Secret Football Weapon
Wilson might be in the business of country music, but that doesn’t mean she’s at a loss when it comes to sports. As the country singer revealed to Pat McAfee, her husband, Duck Hodges, has been giving her a hand in that department.
“Duck is helping me out. I’ve been doing my studying. I have been going to the Lord,” she said jokingly. “Honestly, I have been pulling up some stats. I was with Duck and Hardy last night and they were giving me some of their opinions. So I’m doing my research. I’m gonna have my own thoughts, and my own picks.”
Hodges, whom Wilson wed in May, played football for the Samford Bulldogs, and then later the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and 2020. Honestly, it would be no surprise if Wilson has some pretty solid picks.
As for her performance, though, the star revealed very little to McAfee about what it will entail. She’s definitely keeping us on our toes.
“There’s gonna be some performances on Saturday but I can’t tell you what they are…” she shared. “That’s gonna be a surprise.”
Photo by: Brecheisen/Getty Images
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