Jen Lada marks 10 seasons of storytelling on ‘College GameDay Built by The Home Depot’

In her 10th season with College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, Jen Lada continues to be one of sports television’s most powerful storytellers — weaving emotion, humanity and purpose into the fabric of college football’s premier pregame show. Since joining GameDay in 2016, Lada has earned multiple awards for uncovering the heart behind the football helmet, shining a light on stories that feature hope, resilience and strength.

One of her first GameDay stories, Heart of a Tiger (2016), told the remarkable tale of how an organ donation linked Auburn and LSU families forever – a hallmark example of the compassion that defines her work. In the years since, Lada has balanced stories with swagger and spirit like Minshew Mania (2018) and Jump Around (2022) with profiles that highlight emotion and empathy such as Day By Day (2021) and Florida-Georgia Lifeline (2024), for which she recently won her first National Edward R. Murrow Award.

“It’s a privilege to continue sharing the stories of college football for College GameDay,” said Lada. “Alongside an incredible team of talented and passionate producers, we try to spotlight the moments and the people who collectively create the magic of the sport. There’s a real responsibility in telling someone’s story — to honor their experience, appreciate their vulnerability and amplify their truth — and our hope is that the audience feels something because of it each week. If they see these players, coaches and families as people first, and root for their success — regardless of team affiliation — then we’ve done our job well.”

Ten seasons in, the Emmy Award-winning Lada’s work remains the emotional heartbeat of College GameDay. In celebration of her 10 seasons with GameDay, here’s a look at 10 of Lada’s favorite features:

Spencer Jackson produced the above video.