WATCH: Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson, & The Cadillac Three Take Center Stage In New College GameDay Opening
The artists perform a special version of “Comin’ To Your City.”
Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson, The Cadillac Three; Photo via YouTube
Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three star in the brand-new College GameDay opening, which made its debut on Saturday, September 2 on ESPN.
The clip features previous College GameDay opening stars Big & Rich cruising in a topless Bronco tuning the station to College GameDay.
As they turn the music up, the clip then shifts focus to Rucker, Wilson, and The Cadillac Three who appear on stage leading a massive tailgate celebration in honor of college football.
The artists then join forces to perform “Comin’ To Your City,” which has served as the College GameDay theme song for nearly two decades.
The performance video goes on to show shots of the artists on stage intertwined with videos of fans tailgating, clips from ESPN College GameDay, and scenes from previous college football games.
Watch
College GameDay revealed that Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and The Cadillac Three would be replacing Big & Rich as the new voices of College GameDay on Monday, August 28.
To reveal the exciting news, the official College GameDay social media shared a video that featured the trio of country stars sharing what it means to them to be the voices of College GameDay.
“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’s really doing something now,’” Wilson quipped.
As an avid sports fan, this opportunity is a dream come true for Rucker.
“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,” he said.
The Cadillac Three shared, “We look forward to it on the bus…it’s always on.”
Big & Rich Bids Farewell
The news comes after Big & Rich revealed that they wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming season of College GameDay on August 24.
“College GameDay, it’s been an honor. Time to officially pass the torch after 16 incredible years!” Big & Rich captioned the clip.
In the video, John and Kenny are seated in director chairs revealing that after nearly two decades they are ready to hand over the reins to someone else.
“It’s been a great 16 years, being the voices of the College GameDay open,” Big Kenny said before John Rich adds, “And now we’re excited to officially pass the torch to these extremely talented artists.”
“Comin’ to Your City”
“Comin’ to Your City” is the title track of Big & Rich’s second studio album. The song was released to country radio in September of 2005 and climbed to No.21 on the U.S. radio charts. The version that appears on ESPN’s College GameDay includes shoutouts to several college football teams, which does not appear in the original recording of the song.
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot returned for its 37th season and 30th season on the road on September 2 at Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game featured the North Carolina Tar Heels facing off against the South Carolina Gamecocks for the Battle of the Carolinas. The Tar Heels ultimately won the game.
For more information on College GameDay, visit the official website HERE.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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