Who is Carter Smith? The BYU student who turned a missed kick into a $3 million College GameDay moment

C arter Smith wasn’t the first raffle winner chosen for Pat McAfee’s “Kicking Is Easy” contest at ESPN’s College GameDay in Provo . The original participant was disqualified after failing to provide identification, and Smith’s ticket was called instead. Then, wearing a Spider-Man suit, the BYU freshman stepped up for a 33-yard field goal in front of a packed crowd.

Smith’s first kick hooked wide right. But the crowd called for another chance, and McAfee gave it to him. On his second attempt, Smith got the ball through the uprights. His fellow BYU fans swarmed him in celebration as the moment turned from a missed kick into a life-changing payday.

The headline-making total was $3 million , but it wasn’t all personal winnings for Smith: $2 million was for him, while another $1 million was pledged to charity. McAfee contributed $1 million, with Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney adding the other $2 million between the prize and charitable donation.

Smith is a BYU freshman from Honey Creek, Iowa, and a biology major. He played football and soccer in high school, though the pressure of a live field-goal attempt on national television was a different challenge. Afterward, he told reporters he didn’t know what to expect, said he prayed before the kick and added, “God works in mysterious ways.”

When asked what he’d buy first, Smith offered a decidedly practical answer: “401K!” It was a quick, funny line amid the noise and celebration and a reminder that the freshman was suddenly thinking about what to do with a remarkable windfall.

The moment also set a new high for the contest’s reported prize packages. Earlier this season, Texas student Connor Kacena-Merrell made a second-chance kick worth $1.2 million. Smith’s $3 million package counting the charitable donation surpassed that mark as College GameDay visited BYU before its game against Notre Dame.