Vandy Student Makes Field Goal On ESPN Game Day, Wins $500k
on Oct 27, 2025
ESPN Travels The Country, Hitting Different College Towns Every Weekend
ESPN’s College GameDay is a mainstay during College Football season, which has been airing since 1987.
Rece Davis hosts the program every week with help from analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Jen Lada, Jess Sims, Pete Thamel, Katie Feeney, and Steve Coughlin.
Each week, Pat McAfee hosts a kicking contest for a college student to try and make a 33-yard field goal. A ticket is given out to the first 300 people people who arrive at the College GameDay set. The hosts draw a ticket and that person is able to attempt to kick the field goal to win money right out of McAfee’s pocket. By the end of September 2025, McAfee had given out over $2 million of his own money.
Occasionally, McAfee ups the ante to donate even more money to charity. Recently, McAfee even through in a brand new car to someone who ended up not kicking a field goal.
ESPN College GameDay Went To Nashville Over The Weekend
College GameDay traveled to Nashville to cover the Vanderbilt vs. Missouri game on October 25th. Therefore, hundreds of people were lined up to watch one lucky Vanderbilt student attempt the infamous field goal kick.
Sophomore Tyler Hwang, who is studying chemical engineering and economics, was chosen in the draw. In the pre-kick interview, he revealed he played soccer in high school and even kicked in some games for the football team.
McAfee’s offer was up to $500,000 plus $250,000 to charity.
Hwang stepped up, with Herbstreit holding the ball, and made the kick! The crowd went wild, and Hwang even did McAfee’s golf swing celebration!
Hwang took a lap around the barriers high-fiving people left and right. The analysts told Hwang that his kick was the best they’d seen since the kicking contest began!
Watch the full segment below.
