Tennessee student drills $1.5 million kick on second chance during College GameDay
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The cast and crew of College GameDay made their way up to Knoxville, Tennessee, in Week 4 for the heavyweight clash between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee on Rocky Top.
As has become tradition over the past few years, GameDay co-host Pat McAfee put $1 million bucks of his own money on the line if a student in attendance could make a 33-yard field goal live on air.
This week’s contestant missed his first kick, but McAfee gave him a second chance and put another $500,000 on the line as a donation to the Pat Summit Foundation. The Tennessee student took aim for his second kick, and he didn’t miss, driving the ball right down the middle to secure the cash,
This is the 5th year that McAfee’s kicking contest has been a part of the weekly College GameDay festivities, and he’s bumped up the cash prizes considerably in 2026, putting a million dollars or more on the line each week so far this season.
His $500,000 donation to the Pat Summit Foundation will also help endear him to the people of Knoxville. The non-profit bears the name of former legendary Lady Vols basketball head coach Pat Summit, and is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s, a disease that Summit herself ultimately passed away from back in 2016.
There’s no denying that McAfee is a controversial figure. Still, he deserves serious praise for his efforts to help students and for his donations to amazing causes like the Pat Summit Foundation.
