Pat McAfee. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: High school kicker wins $50,000 from ESPN's Pat McAfee

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Aug 31, 2024 11:52 AM ET

ESPN's College Gameday is a Saturday morning staple among football fans, and host Pat McAfee's kicking competition adds an extra level of interest.

Starting in 2023, when McAfee joined the Gameday crew, one fan can attempt a 33-yard field goal live on air for $25,000.

Usually, contestants only get one chance at the kick, but McAfee likes to bend the rules — even his own.

On Saturday, with the show in College Station for No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 20 Texas A&M, a high school kicker named Lucas from Houston was the first contestant of the 2024 season — he missed.

But the crowd got to McAfee's head, and he gave him a second chance, this time for $50,000 and added pressure. Lucas hit his mark, and the crowd went wild.

LUCAS FOR $50,000

HE DID IT #CollegeGameDay https://t.co/j8Xp347gmC pic.twitter.com/1Clh3Xgmku
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 31, 2024

It marks the first time in the competition's existence that a contestant has won in the first week.

McAfee is best known for his sports talk show "The Pat McAfee Show," which streams on YouTube and is licensed by ESPN.

On Friday, the former Indianapolis Colts punter returned to his alma mater in Morgantown, West Virginia, and hosted his show on campus.

McAfee, a Mountaineer football standout, announced his donation of $1 million to the school's NIL fund to help student-athletes.

We wanna say thank you to West Virginia..

I will be donating $1M to the West Virginia NIL Collective from the entire team I played alongside..

I was VERY lucky to be on that team and this is from ALL of us #WVUPMSLive pic.twitter.com/nsqPwbVuip
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 30, 2024