Gene Wojciechowski praised by ESPN stars after announcing 'last official day'
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Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams on cover of EA Sports College Football '26
EA Sports chose Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Alabama's Ryan Williams to be on the cover of College Football '26. We talk to the athletes about what this moment means to them.
Veteran sports writer and "College Gameday" contributor Gene Wojciechowski's three-decade run at ESPN is officially over, he announced.
Wojciechowski wrote on social media on Saturday, May 31 that it was his "last official day on the books" after more than 27 years at ESPN and thanked several ESPN stars, including "College Gameday" host Rece Davis, former "College Gameday" host Chris Fowler, former ESPN and current FOX Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi and former ESPN president John Skipper.
Wojciechowski was technically let go by ESPN during the network's layoffs in 2023. It could mean this past weekend represented the end of his contract or severance compensation with ESPN.
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That, however, did not stop an array of ESPN personalities from offering tributes and thanks for Wojciechowski's contributions at the network, despite his time on air there ending almost two years ago.
"Tremendous reporter. Brilliant writer and storyteller. Better man. Unsurpassed as a loyal friend. Legend in the business," ESPN "College Gameday" host Rece Davis wrote on X.
"Appreciate your commitment to the show and the respect you always showed to the people involved in the show," Kirk Herbstreit added in his own social media reply to Wojciechowski's tweet. "As loyal and good of a teammate I've ever had!"
"You could do it all and make it look effortless," wrote ESPN's Dan Wetzel, the former Yahoo! national sports columnist.
Wojciechowski is the author or co-author of nine books and joined ESPN back in 1998 after working for the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, and the Los Angeles Times. He wrote for the now-defunct ESPN the Magazine and later began writing columns for ESPN.com. His human-interest features and commentary also became a regular part of "College Gameday." The University of Tennessee graduate currently serves as a professor for the School of Journalism & Media at his alma mater.
ESPN announced previously in April that Lee Corso would be retiring from "College Gameday" after his final headgear pick during Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.
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