Meet the Longhorn who kicked his way to $1.2 Million at College GameDay
Freshman Connor Kacena-Merrell took home the cash prize from Pat McAfee’s “College GameDay” kicking contest.
Planting his bare feet into the turf circle outside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Connor Kacena-Merrell glanced at the roaring orange-and-white crowd. Students carrying large posters and Longhorn cheerleaders with poms in hand watched as the freshman electrical engineering and business student poised himself at the 33-yard line for the “College GameDay” “Kicking is Easy” contest.
From his place next to ESPN host Pat McAfee and University of Texas alumnus and Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Kacena-Merrell said his nerves began to mount and the noise began to quiet to a buzz. Borrowing a trick from his youth soccer career, he directed his head to the ground before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Kacena-Merrel visualized the shot before taking a running start and connecting with the football.
In a clean arc, the football soared straight through the middle of the looming goal post as the crowd erupted into cheers. Kacena-Marrell raised his arms in the air, in sync with McConaughey as his best friend leaped over the fence in a sprint toward them.
“It was fantastic,” Kacena-Merrell said. “I was on cloud nine.”
Last weekend’s matchup between UT and Ohio State University marked the second installment of the 2026 Pat McAfee “College GameDay” kicking contest, and Kacena-Merrell is the first winner of the season. The cash prize, which totaled $1.2 million, is the largest in the challenge’s past three seasons.
Before he even touched the football, Kacena-Merrell announced his plans to donate half of any winnings to Building Tomorrow, a nonprofit based in his home state of Indiana, if he made the kick. The organization, which works to build schools in Africa, is close to Kacena-Merrell’s heart because he volunteered with the group during his high school years.
“The team at Building Tomorrow has the most passionate, genuine and motivated people ever. They love what they do, and it’s for a good cause,” he said. “Being able to help them through my life journey is important to me.”
With hopes of being selected for the contest, Kacena-Merrell joined the line for the Texas game during the previous night, as “College GameDay” only enters the first 300 students into the raffle for a single spot. Moments before taking to the turf stage, he recalled the buzz of the crowd as they awaited the selection.
Two attendees were called before Kacena-Merrell, though they were ultimately missing from the field or unable to compete due to contest rules. He said his hopes continued to swing up and down with each announcement until his unique four-digit code boomed out.
“When he said the final number, I just went crazy,” Kacena-Merrell said. “I had all my friends there, so it was just great celebrating with them and jumping up and down in excitement.”
Once he was selected, Kacena-Merrell chose to forgo his game-day cowboy boots to allow for a more precise kick. Drawing on his soccer background, he had confidence about making the goal, though he said the added weight of the audience’s stares was overwhelming at first.
“I knew that theoretically I should be able to make that kick,” he said. “But when you’re placed into that situation with thousands of people in person watching you, and all your friends at home watching you, and the whole country, that’s a lot of added pressure.”
His first shot at the goal and the prize money went just right of the post, but McAfee gave him another chance. As the energy across the crowd climbed, McConaughey and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who played college football for the opposing Ohio State, upped the stakes, agreeing to each pitch in an additional $100,000 to the prize amount.
With refreshed focus, Kacena-Merrell took his second shot and won the money — now reaching a total of $1.2 million. Later, the Tito’s Foundation committed $1 million more to support Kacena-Merrell’s donations to both Building Tomorrow and the Central Texas Food Bank.
Altogether, with the support of various donors, this brought the total to $2.2 million, with Kacena-Merrell taking home $600,000 and giving the rest to charity.
“Sometimes with pressure, it can fight against the experience and overwhelm it, but I’m glad that I was given that second chance there,” Kacena-Merrell said. “Pat McAfee was super generous, and I’m glad I was able to capitalize on that second kick.”
After a day of celebrating his win and enjoying the Longhorn’s victory against Ohio State, Kacena-Merrell said he’s enjoyed the outpouring of support from his friends, family and commenters on social media.
The community he’s found in his classes at UT, he said, is what makes him proudest to be a Longhorn. At the beginning of his journey on the Forty Acres and coming off a weekend of excitement, Kacena-Merrell hopes to grow from this opportunity and continue his studies with all the friends that he’s made. Half of his “College GameDay” winnings are going to his tuition and savings as he looks toward dual degrees in the electrical and computer engineering honors program and business administration.
“I’d consider myself to be a pretty average kid and a normal student, and I don’t want to have what happened this past weekend take away from that experience,” Kacena-Merrell said. “I’m setting up my future as my highest priority.”
