Pat McAfee & Co. Lose $3 Million as BYU Student Flips His Fortune With College GameDay Heroics

A BYU student in a Spider-Man costume got a second chance on College GameDay in Provo, and he turned it into a huge payday. Carter missed his first attempt in Pat McAfee’s Kicking Is Easy contest wide right, but the retry changed everything.

“Carter for three million dollars. What a kick,” Pat McAfee posted on X.

The reaction showed how fast a Week 7 stunt became the story of the morning. The prize did not start at that size.

The contest was initially worth $1 million, just like every other GameDay this season. That includes $500,000 from McAfee and $500,000 matched by Home Depot. But in Week 7, more money came in.

One student's GameDay bet just cost McAfee's crew millions. Subscribe to stay on top of college football's biggest moments and the stories that move markets.

Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, a BYU alum, agreed to add another $1 million. His business partner Ryan Sweeney, a Notre Dame alum, pledged another $1 million. That brought the total to $3 million, reportedly twice the previous record for the contest.

McAfee added the first kick had good pop but spiraled and nearly hit someone on the sideline. Then he offered Carter one more shot at the exact same money, with one million each tied to him, Smith and Sweeney. He joked about what the Book of Mormon says about second chances, and someone nearby answered, “A lot.”

McAfee also hyped the moment, saying the ball had been 10,000 feet in the air with Cosmo, who came out of a plane for the occasion, and that all Carter had to do was put it through the uprights at a 4,600-foot altitude.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit then stepped in with advice. He told Carter to slow down because he looked rushed, and to aim at the left upright. Carter admitted he was nervous.

Carter’s kick, like a knuckleball, split the uprights. The broadcast erupted. Carter looked stunned. BYU fans then knocked down barricades, rushed toward him and lifted him to celebrate.

“Carter! Congrats, Carter. We appreciate you. What a morning here at…,” said McAfee. “Carter looks like he’s in a state of disbelief, and why not? Let’s get those numbers, right? Three million dollars for the man in the Spider-Man costume who just learned about the kicking-it-easy contest.”

Former BYU players Austin Collie and Taysom Hill were also at the event. McAfee did not ask either of them to chip in.

The gap between the two attempts came down to a small adjustment. The first kick drifted wide right. On the second, Carter slowed down and made it count.

Of the $3 million that Carter secured through his kick, half of the amount will be donated to charity. He’ll take the other home, which makes it the biggest payout for a winner in this contest. Earlier this season, Connor Kacena-Merrell, a Texas freshman, won $1.2 million when the GameDay was in Austin for the Longhorns’ Week 2 clash against Ohio State.

For Carter, a simple Saturday trip to watch BYU turned into something fans in Provo will be talking about for a long time.

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