For ESPN’s College GameDay, times they are changing. On Thursday, the show announced that its next guest caster will be Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet.
Chalamet will join the show at the Peach State, where College GameDay will be hosted before the SEC title game. The matchup, between No. 5 Georgia and No. 2 Texas, will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The choice is somewhat surprising: Chalamet, a New York native, is a prominent football fan and supporter of the Knicks and Mets, but he has not expressed much interest in football. The 28-year-old actor also apparently has no connection to either school, which is typical for a guest coach.
Guest selections from earlier this year included actor Keegan Michael-Key, pitcher Paul Skenes and gymnast Livvy Dunne, swimmer Michael Phelps, college basketball coach Dawn Staley and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch. All of these selectors graduated from or were otherwise involved with the schools that hosted College GameDay that week.
Chalamet is promoting the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” which will be released on Christmas Day. The film is being distributed by Searchlight Pictures, which is owned by the same parent company, Disney, as ESPN.
Georgia and Texas, which are 10-2 and 11-1, respectively, have already hosted College GameDay this season. The Bulldogs handed the Longhorns their only loss of the season in October and will look to do it again.
Saturday’s winner will earn a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff, while the loser will most likely make the playoff field.