{
  "id": 8193959,
  "title": "Why Morgan Freeman is actually the perfect College GameDay guest picker for Lane Kiffin's return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/why-morgan-freeman-is-actually-the-perfect-college-gameday-guest",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T07:00:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-morgan-freeman-actually-perfect-070002995.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "With the College GameDay crew in Oxford for Week 3, ESPN has selected 89-year-old star actor Morgan Freeman to be the guest picker for Saturday's game between Ole Miss and LSU. While Freeman may seem like an unusual choice, his Ole Miss ties make him the perfect person to root for the team. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeman was raised in Mississippi and lived in Greenwood and Charleston, Mississippi before moving to Indiana and Chicago. Even as a celebrity, Freeman has remained involved in Mississippi politics, charitable endeavors and Ole Miss athletics. In 2021, he helped donate $1 million to Ole Miss, establishing the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform. Freeman has also been spotted attending Ole Miss basketball games. Known for his enthusiasm and passion for the Rebels, Freeman will join Pat McAfee and the GameDay crew to support Ole Miss in what promises to be a highly-anticipated matchup.",
  "summary": "With \"GameDay\" in Oxford, ESPN seems to have found the perfect celebrity guest picker.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Academy Award winner named ESPN’s College GameDay’s guest picker ahead of Ole Miss-LSU",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/academy-award-winner-named-espns-college-gamedays-guest-picker-ahead",
        "published": "2026-09-17T18:53:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Newsweek",
        "title": "Ole Miss Has Strict Rule Ahead of Lane Kiffin's Return",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ole-miss-has-strict-rule-ahead-of-lane-kiffins-return",
        "published": "2026-09-18T00:05:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}