Pat McAfee receives costly update before 'College GameDay'

ESPN personality Pat McAfee could have some unexpected trouble in Nashville this week with his field goal kicking contest | Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College football teams routinely expect-- and receiver-- help and support from the students at their schools. But now, kickers are giving back to students. This shift was brought about due to Pat McAfee and his College GameDay student field goal kicking contest. In an effort to help Vanderbilt students win massive amounts of McAfee money, Vandy's kickers are now giving back.

McAfee's kicking contests

With McAfee's weekly kicking contests having become a GameDay staple, Vanderbilt kickers Brock Taylor and Nick Haberer held a mini-practice to work with around 100 Vanderbilt students who are hoping to compete for McAfee's money. One lucky Vanderbilt student will be chosen on the set of College GameDay on Saturday and will be allowed to try a 33-yard field goal (apparently chosen because it's the length of an NFL extra point) for big time prize money.

Despite the significant sums of money on the line, McAfee has been very understanding about kicking efforts. In 2025, he has allowed substitutes to kick for students without any kicking experience and once allow Kirk Herbstreit to throw a football between the uprights to count for a successful try. Accounts of McAfee's generosity indicate that he has paid out over $1.7 million in prize money to successful students and another $1.25 million in charity donations.

Player-coaches

Taylor and Haberer certainly seem like good coaches for prospective Vanderbilt student kickers. Taylor is 74 for 76 on extra points and 24 for 27 on field goal tries in the last two seasons. Taylor has connected on six of seven tries from outside 50 yards, including a career-best 57 yarder. Nick Haberer is an outstanding punter who transferred in from Washington State.

Vanderbilt and GameDay

Vanderbilt hosting College GameDay is itself a profound statement on the unusual nature of college football in 2025. CGD had been to Nashville once before, in 2008, but for a program that has struggled to escape the SEC's basement, an appearance on the show as a top 10 program is a massive statement. ESPN's latest FPI rankings give the Commodores a 33.4% chance at a CFP berth. But as serious as the weekend is, it didn't stop a couple of Vanderbilt players from looking to help out their fellow students.