College GameDay Signs May Never Be the Same After Ole Miss Fan’s $18,000 Payday

College GameDay signs are usually built for jokes and trash talk, but an Ole Miss fan turned his poster board into more than $18,000 on Saturday and could lead more fans to try the same idea.

The fan, identified only as Jim, held a sign in the Grove in Oxford, Miss., that read "Help Me Buy Ticket + Beer" with his Venmo handle at the bottom. By Saturday night, his balance showed more than $18,000 from fans across the country.

Ole Miss fan's $18,000 Venmo sign

Not a bad gig. #collegegameday pic.twitter.com/uaZbo8TwAN
— Mike “Michael” Whiddon (@WhiddonMike486) September 19, 2026

The sign stayed in view for much of the ESPN broadcast. Money came in from Ole Miss fans, LSU fans who trash talked him before kickoff and fans of other schools.

Many other signs in the Grove mocked LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, who made his first trip back to Oxford since he left Ole Miss for LSU in November 2025.

No. 8 Ole Miss beat No. 7 LSU 32-24 that night. The Rebels led 24-7 at halftime, but the Tigers tied it in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss then ran 14 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and Ole Miss added a two-point conversion with 6:14 left. Defensive back Jaylon Braxton sealed the win with an end-zone interception, and the Rebels moved to 3-0.

Who cashed in on GameDay signs?

College GameDay Signs May Never Be the Same After Ole Miss Fan’s $18,000 Payday — From L to R: Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jim isn't the first fan to turn a GameDay sign into cash. In 2016, fan Sam Crowder held a "Hi Mom! Send beer money" sign with his Venmo name when the show went to Bristol Motor Speedway. Thousands of people sent him money, and Venmo itself sent $50.

In 2019, Iowa State fan Carson King held a "Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished" sign in Ames before Iowa at Iowa State. He kept enough for a case of beer and gave the rest to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.

More than 35,000 people sent money. With matching gifts from Busch and Venmo, King handed the hospital a check for $3,004,202.14.

"I didn't think I would make anything, it all started as a joke," King said.

In 2021, an Ole Miss student made more than $4,000 with a beer money sign on GameDay. He pledged 25% of it to the William Magee Center at Ole Miss.

College GameDay's no-solicitation sign rule

ESPN's rules for the pit in front of the GameDay stage ban offensive, vulgar, inappropriate or solicitation signs. Host schools also warn fans that they check signs on Saturday morning and remove them if they break the rules.

A request for cash fits the ban on solicitation, but Jim's sign still made it on air for much of the show.

An $18,000 payday gives other fans a reason to bring Venmo signs to future shows. ESPN may respond with closer sign checks, and fans who try it could lose their signs before the show goes on air.

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