A champion is coming to Coral Gables.

Florida Panthers star and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matthew Tkachuk will be the celebrity guest picker when Miami hosts ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning, ESPN announced.

“It’s an honor,” Tkachuk told the Miami Herald on Thursday. “Ever since coming down here to South Florida, I’ve been more into college football, but my love for it started years ago visiting my buddy at Ole Miss. I’ve been a college football fan for a little while, but being the first NHL player to be given this honor of being on this grand stage and for the country to see my picks is going to be good. Hopefully my picks hit. I love college football. I think ‘College GameDay’ does an absolutely incredible job of growing the sport and grabbing the attention of a guy like me. I’m so excited and I’m so honored to be part of it.”

Tkachuk is the first NHL player to be the celebrity guest picker in the show’s history, according to the Herald.

“College GameDay,” which will broadcast from the Lakeside Patio on Miami’s campus, is returning to a Miami home game for the first time since 2020. It is the first time the show has broadcast from the UM campus since 2017.

Previous celebrity guest pickers at Miami include former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, former Miami wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin and radio host  Jon “Stugotz” Weiner.

Tkachuk is a nine-year NHL pro and has spent the last three seasons with the Panthers. Tkachuk has helped lead Florida to the Stanley Cup Final in all three seasons with the team.

Tkachuk has 88 regular-season goals and 166 regular-season assists with the Panthers. He also has 25 goals and 44 assists in the playoffs.

Tkachuk is currently recovering from offseason surgery and is expected to return to the ice in several months.

Back-to-back Stanley Cup champ turned guest picker 🏆

Can’t wait to have Matthew Tkachuk join us in Miami this Saturday 🙌 pic.twitter.com/AXyTxBLE1j

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 18, 2025

Originally Published: September 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM EDT