College GameDay is pulling out all the stops for its first visit to Cincinnati Saturday.
With rumors swirling about what famous Bearcats fans might be involved in the three-hour college football pregame, ESPN announced Nick Lachey as their celebrity guest picker. Though born in Harlan, Ky., the singer and television host grew up in Cincinnati — attending the School for Creative and Performing Arts and singing at Kings Island before forming boyband 98 Degrees.
In a video posted to social media, Lachey said he was "super excited" to be the picker in Cincinnati — "the center of the college football universe this weekend."
"Corso, all I can say is, better have that Bearcat head ready," Lachey said.
Lachey said in a tweet his grandfather was a UC professor for 40 years and his parents met at the school.
"Just because I didn't go to school there doesn't mean I'm not a die-hard Bearcat fan," Lachey said. "I was raise going to see #Bearcats football at Nippert since the early 80s...no one is more excited to see GameDay come to Clifton than me."
In addition to his Bearcats fandom, Lachey is a fan of the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals — making jabs at the rival Steelers after their game Sept. 26.
We'll see you tomorrow, @NickLachey 👋 pic.twitter.com/VA0EZEGhmB
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 5, 2021
Lachey and his brother, Drew, founded a sports bar in the city that was open for three years. He most recently competed on season five of the singing competition series "The Masked Singer," winning as "Piglet." He serves as a judge on the show's spinoff, "Alter Ego."
Reality television fans might also know Lachey as the star of "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" with ex-wife Jessica Simpson, a competitor on "Dancing With The Stars" or the host of Netflix's "Love is Blind" with wife Vanessa Lachey. He and Vanessa Lachey have three children.
Clifton will be the epicenter of college football Saturday as Lee Corso and crew are live from The Commons starting at 9 a.m. Head coach Luke Fickell is expected to appear live as well. Fans headed to the show are encouraged to get there early, as ESPN opens the pit area at 6:30 a.m. All College GameDay tips and info can be found here.
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