American undergrads are improving their place-kicking skills and it’s starting to prove costly for Pat McAfee and ESPN College GameDay sponsor, Home Depot.
One week after a Texas freshman connected on a 33-yard field goal to win $1.2 million during a live broadcast in Austin, Ole Miss finance major James Whitehead scored his own $1 million payday by splitting the uprights from the same distance before the Rebels hosted LSU in Oxford.
And like Texas’ Connor Kaceu-Merrell a week earlier in Austin, Whitehead opted to go barefoot for his 33-yard attempt.
‘That’s the best kick yet,’ a stunned McAfee said amid the chaotic reaction in Oxford ahead of Saturday’s Ole Miss-LSU game. ‘Kid hustled us!’
Just four students made kicks over the contest’s first three seasons, resulting in a total payout of $650,000 to students and their designated charities. Now, in just two weeks, McAfee and Home Depot are suddenly on the hook for $2.2 million.
As for his winnings, Whitehead told the Daily Mississippian he promised to share some with his ‘buddies.’
Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit with James Whitehead during the ‘Kicking Is Easy’ Challenge
Oxford, Mississippi celebrates after Whitehead made a 33-year-yard barefoot field goal
Whitehead told the Daily Mississippian he promised to share some winnings with his ‘buddies’
The contest has been McAfee’s signature
A former West Virginia Mountaineers punter who went on to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, McAfee launched the ‘Kicking is Easy’ competition when he joined the ESPN GameDay crew in 2023. Remarkably, McAfee funded more than $6 million in prize and charity money connected to the contest over its first three seasons, but is now being matched by Home Depot, according to Front Office Sports.
Last week, it was Kaceu-Merrell, a native of Zionsville, Indiana, who was chosen by McAfee for the challenge.
Just before Kaceu-Merrell kicked for $1 million, he revealed to McAfee, the audience, and UT alum and Hollywood A-Lister Matthew McConaughey that he’d donate half the prize to a charity back in his native Hoosier State.
Kaceu-Merrell had the distance for his initial attempt, but the kick sailed wide right.
Fortunately, Kaceu-Merrell was given a second chance with an increased prize pool of $1.2 million – $600k for himself, $600k going to charity.
This time, despite being barefoot, the Indiana native perfectly struck the kick and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
He celebrated with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey after winning the contest
There were joyful cheers from his fellow Longhorns as McConaughey went in for a high-five that Kaceu-Merrell just missed seeing.
Instead, McConaughey went in for a hug and congratulated him for his kick ‘right down the pipe.’
McAfee also got a hug and a congratulations off to the kid who will donate half his prize money to Building Tomorrow – a non-profit that helps provide educational opportunities to children in East Africa.
Fans praised Kaceu-Merrell for his selflessness, but also marveled at his leg strength and accuracy.
One fan joked, ‘This kid is gonna be getting some calls for tryouts after that kick.’
