In Week 1, the kicker on Pat McAfee’s College GameDay segment missed both of his tries. This Saturday, a Texas student missed his first attempt too, but then, in his second attempt, he surprised everyone.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The moment happened on Saturday, September 12, during ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast at the University of Texas in Austin. The show aired ahead of tonight’s No. 1 Ohio State versus No. 4 Texas game.
Connor Kacena-Merrell, a freshman computer engineering and business major at Texas, had been drawn from the early-arriving “Pit” for Pat McAfee’s “Kicking is Easy” Contest.
The initial prize was $1 million. Before lining up, Connor told the crew he would give half of any winnings to charity. The first kick did not go through. The crowd and McAfee started calling for one more try.
McAfee then raised the total prize to $1.2 million. Connor approached the same 33-yard attempt and sent it straight down the middle. Connor was mobbed and hugged by Matthew McConaughey, who was on site as a guest picker for College GameDay.
McAfee called it possibly the best kick in the history of the contest. The show confirmed $600,000 to Connor and $600,000 to charity. The specific charity has not been named yet.
Charity has become a regular part of the segment rather than a fixed program. Documented examples include Hurricane Helene relief, local campus or city charities chosen on the spot, a Michigan linebacker’s foundation, and the Volunteer Center of Lubbock.
The posted rules list only one attempt, no practice kicks, athletic shoes or rubber cleats only, current or former college athletes ineligible, and an official prize of $25,000. McAfee sets and announces the prize live, and Home Depot matches whatever McAfee contributes. Whenever the crowd shouts to give the kicker a second chance, the show most probably grants it.
The kicking contest started in 2023 after a student from Washington, Greyson Wilhelm, held a “kicking is easy” sign. McAfee challenged him to a 33-yard kick, and he made it on his second try and received $30,000, the only cash prize that year.
Through the first three seasons, sources tied to McAfee cited more than $6 million of his own money in prizes and donations.
Week 1 on September 5, during LSU versus Clemson in Baton Rouge, led to a different result. LSU freshman Bruce Morello was selected from the Pit. The first kick carried a $1 million total, $500,000 from McAfee and $500,000 from Home Depot, but the kicker missed.
The second-chance kick dropped to $500,000, and Morello missed that as well. No winner and no charity followed.
College GameDay is right now in its 40th season and has completed more than 500 road shows. McAfee appeared as a guest picker in 2019 and 2020 initially and became a full-time analyst on September 10, 2022. He shares the desk with Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Nick Saban, with the show being hosted by Rece Davis.