Glen Powell Named College GameDay Guest Picker for Texas-Ohio State

Hollywood is coming back to the Forty Acres for one of college football’s biggest games.

Glen Powell will serve as ESPN College GameDay’s guest picker Saturday in Austin before No. 4 Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State in a primetime showdown. ESPN confirmed Powell’s appearance Thursday, giving the longtime Longhorns fan his second turn at the GameDay desk.

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Powell previously handled guest-picking duties in 2022 when Texas hosted Alabama. Now he returns for an even bigger spotlight game, with the Longhorns trying to knock off the nation’s top-ranked team.

The Austin native has plenty of ties to the university. Powell studied Radio-Television-Film at Texas before leaving school to pursue acting, and he has since returned to continue his studies.

His Longhorns fandom has remained highly visible throughout his rise in Hollywood.

That rise has been significant.

Powell became a household name after playing Hangman alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

His resume has since expanded with starring roles in projects such as Twisters, Hit Man and Chad Powers.

His connection to Chad Powers gives Saturday another college-football wrinkle, since the character originated with former Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Powell’s selection also makes sense beyond celebrity appeal. He has become one of Texas football’s most recognizable supporters and regularly appears around the program.

Saturday marks College GameDay’s 11th visit to Austin. Texas is 5-5 in its previous 10 home appearances on the show.

There’s also some history attached to this particular matchup. College GameDay was in Austin when Texas hosted No. 1 Ohio State in 2006, a game the Buckeyes won 24-7. The show most recently visited Austin in 2024 for Texas’ matchup with Georgia.

The Longhorns and Buckeyes will kick off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-2, and this will be the third consecutive season the programs have met.

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Before any of that, Powell gets to make his picks.

And with one of Hollywood’s biggest Longhorns fans on the GameDay desk, the atmosphere around Austin should be anything but subtle.