Timothée Chalamet is an Oscar-nominated actor who has brought to life a diverse set of characters such as Willy Wonka, space saga messiah Paul Atreides in the ‘Dune’ films, and even an embodiment of Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown,’ coming to theaters later this month.
But he’s not really known as much of a sports fan – evidently he follows the New York Knicks and Mets, The Sporting News says – so his selection as a panelist on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday may have seemed somewhat softball. Wrong. Add football analyst to Chalamet’s resume because he wowed not only fellow panelists but also viewers with his picks and reasoning.
Chalamet quickly got fellow panelists Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit’s attention with his first pick: Jackson State over Southern in the Southwest Athletic Conference championship. ‘I’m going Jackson State. Eight wins in a row. 11 all-conference players. It should be a comfortable easy win for them,’ Chalamet said.
‘This guy’s a great actor,’ declared panelist Desmond Howard.Referring to Chalamet, Herbstreit added, ‘He said, ‘I only got six picks. I’m bringing the heat.”
College GameDay’s X account posted a highlight reel of Chalamet’s picks and analysis on games ranging from the SWAC Championship to the SEC title game.
‘ELITE BALL KNOWLEDGE,’ the account noted.
The actor maintained his moxie with his assessment of the Mid-American Conference championship matchup: Ohio University Bobcats vs. Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.
‘These teams are 2-2 in the last four matchups. The RedHawks’ defense looks good but I’m looking at 4th year Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro (who has a) 65% completion rate,’ Chalamet said. ‘If he can get going it will tilt this in favor of the Bobcats. I’m going underdog Bobcats here.’
Chalamet references ‘movie dad’ Matthew McConaughey
Chalamet upset University of Georgia fans crowding around the GameDay set in Atlanta ahead of the afternoon’s SEC Championship game when he chose the University of Texas Longhorns over the Bulldogs. ‘You know it’s hard to beat the same team twice,’ he said, referring to Georgia’s 30-15 win over Texas two months ago.
‘Adjustments are made. It’s like a game of chess,’ Chalamet continued. ‘(Former Alabama) Coach (Nick) Saban knows this better than anyone on this dais. Listen, I’m going with my movie dad (and ‘Interstellar’ co-star Matthew) McConaughey,’ a noted Longhorns fan who often prowls the Texas sideline during games.
‘I’m sorry to everybody here (in predicting) a Longhorns victory,’ Chalemet said, but showed a Hook ’em Horns sign with his right hand.
Chalamet – who also put up $400,000 for the show’s field goal challenge – certainly didn’t disappoint viewers at home who quickly took to social media to pronounce the actor’s football knowledge.
Earlier this week when Chalamet’s appearance was announced, many were skeptical. ‘That man has never watched a college football game in his life …’ posted one person on X.
‘You couldn’t find a famous football fan that went to Georgia or Texas,’ another asked.
The fact Disney owns ESPN and Searchlight Pictures, which is releasing ‘A Complete Unknown,’ was brought up as the obvious connection.
‘LISAN AL GAIB!’ declared the College GameDay X account on Thursday. ‘Timothée Chalamet is joining us in Atlanta as this weekend’s guest picker.’
After Chalamet’s performance, many were happy to eat crow and Chalamet’s name became a trending topic on X.
‘I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my life than I was about Timothee Chalamet college football knowledge. Im speechless. This guy knows ball,’ one viewer posted on X.
Another noted that only Chalamet on the panel chose Ohio to beat Miami (Ohio) before the Bobcats went up big in the third quarter.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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