Pat McAfee brought his kicking contest to LSU’s Quad on September 5, as College GameDay opened its 40th season. The show is in Baton Rouge for the Clemson-LSU opener and its 500th road broadcast. One student from the early crowd got a rare shot at $1 million with a single 33-yard kick. 

LSU freshman Bruce was picked for Pat McAfee’s College GameDay kicking contest. Bruce won a raffle among fans who lined up early in “the pit.”

McAfee put up $500k for a successful kick. Home Depot said it would match whatever McAfee offered for the full 2026 season. That took the total award money to $1 million. The contest uses a standard 33-yard field goal, which has been typical throughout the contest’s history. Current and former college athletes are not eligible.

Bruce stepped up for his first attempt with the million dollars on the line. The kick missed. “He can make this kick,” Stanford Steve said.

The format still gave Bruce another try. Bruce got the second-chance kick and missed that one too. “NO GOOD AGAIN.” McAfee reacted. “GOOD EFFORT BRUCE.”

McAfee later posted the clip of the second miss with the caption, “NO GOOD AGAIN GOOD EFFORT BRUCE.”

No other student kicked that morning, and no prize money was awarded from the contest. McAfee has funded the prizes himself in past years. Home Depot is matching his money in 2026. McAfee has sometimes given to charity even after misses. However, no charity donation was announced for Bruce’s kicks.

The contest started in 2023 during McAfee’s second year as a regular analyst. Only one student takes part each week and is chosen by raffle from the early crowd.

Prize amounts have grown from tens of thousands in the first season to six- and seven-figure offers. That is why a $1 million chance was on the table for opening weekend.

Many weeks end with no winner at all. The few who have made it have walked away with money.

How Pat McAfee’s contest and GameDay grew over time

A small group of students has hit their kicks and taken home cash. Greyson Wilhelm of Washington won $30,000 in 2023 on his second attempt. He was the first-ever winner.

In 2024, Lucas, a Texas A&M freshman, made $50,000 on a second-chance kick. Kyle Kramer of Oregon also won $100,000 on a second-chance kick. Daniel of California also won $100,000. Henry Silver and Belle Sessions of Georgia each got $200,000. That was $400,000 total to the two students. Another $400,000 went to hurricane relief.

The 2025 prizes got bigger. Logan Pallo of Ohio State won $250,000 on his first try, and Jack Daugard of Oklahoma took $200,000 plus $100,000 to charity. Carson Albright kicked for raffle winner William at Penn State. They split $300,000. 

Tyler Hwang of Vanderbilt won $500,000 plus $250,000 to charity. John Machtolff of Texas Tech made $250,000 plus $250,000 to charity on a second-chance kick. Jonah Knubel kicked for raffle winner Garrett Morris at Utah. They split about $250,000 plus charity on a second-chance kick.

College GameDay itself started in 1987. It was a 30-minute studio show in Bristol, Connecticut. Tim Brando hosted with Lee Corso and Beano Cook. The change came on November 13, 1993. ESPN took the show on the road for the first time to Notre Dame for No. 1 Florida State against No. 2 Notre Dame. 

LSU’s Quad hosted the show ahead of Clemson-LSU. It marked the 40th season and the 500th road broadcast. The show has now visited 82 campuses in 39 states, plus spots like Dublin and a Navy ship. Louisiana native and country singer Lainey Wilson was the guest picker.

McAfee’s contest is set to continue at every remaining stop this season. The next stops are September 12 in Austin for Ohio State at Texas and September 19 in Oxford for LSU at Ole Miss. Celebrity guest pickers are named live on The Pat McAfee Show each Thursday.