“It’s absolutely insane,” Vanderbilt Sophomore Tyler Hwang wins $500,000 on College GameDay

Half a million dollars.

That’s how much Vanderbilt sophomore Tyler Hwang won Saturday morning when he drilled a 33-yard field goal to win Pat McAfee’s weekly kicking contest on College Gameday in Nashville, Tennessee.

TOOK PAT'S MONEY THEN HIT PAT'S CELLY 🔥

$500K to Tyler and $250K to charity 💰 pic.twitter.com/3GFqH3bnv8
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 25, 2025

Originally from Dover, Massachusetts, Hwang is no stranger to kicking. In fact, he’s played soccer his whole life and even spent time as the kicker on his high school football team during his senior year.

“I had some practice,” Hwang told Vandy on SI. “[I was] just lucky to get my number drawn.”

McAfee’s contest — a fan favorite segment each week — gives one lucky audience member a chance to attempt a 33-yard field goal for life changing money. Most contestants get two opportunities to put the ball through the uprights. But because of Hwang’s background, McAfee decide to raise the stakes — he’d only get one shot.

That was all Hwang needed.

He made it look effortless, drilling the kick with plenty of leg right in front of former Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller, who made history in 2020 as the first woman to score in a Power Five football game. Hwang said he’d made kicks from 53 yards before. This one looked like it had that kind of leg, too.

“I did not think it was real in the moment,” Hwang said. “I just kind of went up there and kicked it and did what I knew I could do. It’s absolutely insane.”

As soon as the ball split the uprights, McAfee and the crew erupted. The live audience at Vanderbilt roared in disbelief as Hwang ran around in celebration, shoulder-bumping McAfee while sporting his No. 2 Diego Pavia jersey, bright pink shorts and bare socks.

“That was the best kick we’ve ever had,” co-host Kirk Herbstreit said.

The best kick in the history of College GameDay coming in Nashville is no coincidence — Vanderbilt students were ready for this moment. Earlier in the week, Commodore specialists, including kicker Brock Taylor and punter Nick Haberer, hosted a campus kicking clinic for students to practice their form in anticipation of McAfee’s contest. Hwang, a chemical engineering and economics double major, knew his background was all he needed, so he didn’t attend. But for the dozens who did, the clinic became a spirited warmup for Saturday’s spectacle.

A crowd of nearly 100 Vanderbilt students are currently out on alumni lawn practicing their @CollegeGameDay field goal-kicking with Brock Taylor and Nick Haberer 🎥

Was actually impressed with some of the student kicking skills: pic.twitter.com/7a9usl13zM
— Dylan Tovitz (@dtovitz) October 22, 2025

Hwang is part of a very proud Vanderbilt fanbase that’s earned every bit of the attention it received on College GameDay Saturday morning. For a program often overshadowed in the SEC spotlight, Vanderbilt students made sure their presence wasn’t overlooked.

Hwang spent Friday night camping out on Wyatt Lawn alongside hundreds of other students, all hoping for a chance to represent the school when ESPN’s traveling pregame show arrived. Sleeping bags and chairs covered the grass as students braved the late October cold, singing along to music, playing football and spike ball and sharing snacks as excitement built.

Really cool scene here on Wyatt Lawn as we approach T-minus 10 hours until College Gameday begins.

We’ve got a pickup football game, Luke Combs music, and 500+ students studying as they anxiously await their shot at the pit and the kick. pic.twitter.com/XJdXQ0Q7ne
— Dylan Tovitz (@dtovitz) October 25, 2025

“It was absolutely freezing,” Vanderbilt senior Zach Philip told Vandy on SI. “But it’s totally worth it to see my Commodores welcomed back on [College] Gameday for the first time since 2008.”

While Hwang's name being drawn was pure luck, it almost felt like fate by the time he stepped onto the grass. As the crowd chanted and McAfee’s booming voice introduced him, the moment unfolded like it had been written in advance.

“The crowd helped me,” Hwang said. “They calmed me down.”

Now, with $500,000 to his name, Hwang has one more task to check off before the celebration begins.

“I have to call my parents,” Hwang said. “I want to make sure that I’m covering all my tuition because I’m so grateful to them for everything that they’ve given me. I want to help them out.”

In a week defined by school spirit and student pride, one perfect swing of the leg is just another page in the storybook Vanderbilt football is writing in 2025.