Most Vanderbilt students don’t expect their lives to change in a single moment — but that’s what happened to Tyler Hwang during College GameDay. One kick on Oct. 25, financed by Pat McAfee himself, earned Hwang $500,000 right on Wyatt Lawn. An hour or so before the famous contest, a random number was called, and Hwang had the golden ticket: number 1110. He handled the pressure like a professional and successfully kicked the goal with plenty of power to spare.  

The sophomore chemical engineering and economics student said he got there at 6 p.m. CDT the night before, and while he didn’t attend the Vanderbilt kick clinic, he made sure spending the night was worth the wait. 

“I did try to kick once or twice, just to see, like, hey, do I actually still have this? Because it’s been a little bit since I kicked, but I was like, yeah, I might as well camp out,’’ Hwang said.“I’m probably not [going to] get picked but might as well. I’d be mad at myself if I didn’t try.”  

Hwang’s patience was rewarded. Once the ticket was pulled, Hwang had an hour and 30 minutes to compose himself before the big moment. When the time came, he trusted his gut and made the bold choice to do the kick with no shoes on — just socks. He said that it felt like it was the more comfortable option, and that playing soccer barefoot as a kid led him to the decision.  

Hwang played soccer throughout high school but hurt his ankle after his sophomore year. To continue staying involved and active, he played football during his senior year as a receiver. Later in the season, he got the opportunity to kick after the previous kicker went down with an injury. While his team tended to run the ball on fourth downs, Hwang was awarded one opportunity to kick a field goal, which he did successfully. 

Broadcast each week to millions of viewers, College GameDay is vastly different than competing as a high school athlete. A perfect performance in front of a national television audience with $500,000 on the line has real stakes. 

“There’s a lot more pressure,” Hwang said. “Like I said, I didn’t exactly know how I’d react, but I think the adrenaline helped me out. A bunch of people and organizations that I’m in came to the front to support, which was really good to see, and I feel like that kind of allowed me to settle in and have a little bit more confidence up there.” 

Notably, he was scared to miss the ball entirely more than anything else.  

“I didn’t want to do a Charlie Brown. That was my worst fear,” Hwang said. 

That fear was put to rest as Hwang’s 33-yard kick was above and beyond— one of the most memorable in College GameDay history. College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit called it “the best kick we’ve ever had.” 

When celebrating, Hwang notably made a reference to Pat McAfee, doing a golf swing into the distance.  

“I kind of did it on the spot. [I] calmed down, composed myself and said, ‘What could I do?’ And thought back to Pat’s signature [move], so [I] thought it would be kind of funny if I pulled it out,” Hwang said.  

Hwang’s first phone call after his kick was to his dad. 

“It took me about 30 minutes to get the call through because my phone was not really functioning at first. I gave my dad a call to just kind of talk through everything, talk through some of the shock,” Hwang said.  

He celebrated his victory by attending the Vanderbilt vs. Missouri game. Afterward, Hwang said he slept for about 15 to 16 hours straight.  

Along with the $500,000 Hwang won, there was an additional $250,000 donated to charity. When asked what he would be doing with his earnings, he expressed immense gratitude.  

“I will be donating a portion of my money that I won also to charity because it’s money I never expected. So, as much good as I can do with it, I’d love to contribute. I haven’t fully finalized where, but I’m gonna donate to something regarding adaptive sports. That’s something I’ve been passionate about throughout high school, and would love to kind of give back, specifically to the adaptive ski community,” Hwang said.

Even after Hwang’s successful kick, he stayed true to Vanderbilt’s unofficial mantra of “work hard, play hard,” as he hasn’t missed a single class since. He says the support has overall been the wildest part of it all. 

“I really do appreciate the Vanderbilt community. I feel like there’s been a ton of support, and I appreciate all the kind words. They truly mean a lot,’’ Hwang said. “I feel like that’s just been so cool to see that. I feel like everything on this campus that’s going on right now, especially around the football program, is super exciting. I just love how tight-knit this community is. It’s something really special that we have here, and I don’t think you can find it a lot of places.”   

For Hwang, this one kick may have changed his life — but the joy was shared by the entire Vanderbilt community. Hwang’s balance of humble gratitude and excitement regarding his moment makes it easy for every Commodore to rally behind him. His lucky streak and perfect kick will be remembered as one of the most exciting days in Vanderbilt history.