A single swing of Carter Smith’s leg changed a Saturday morning on the BYU lawn into something much bigger than a football-game sideshow. The 21-year-old BYU freshman walked away with $3 million after winning Pat McAfee’s “Kicking Is Easy” contest, turning one second-chance field goal into a memory that his family says still feels hard to process.
Smith said the setup itself made the moment feel unreal. “They put me right here, right. Cosmo jumps out of an airplane, he's got the ball that I'm going to kick, and I think we put the ball right here,” Carter recalled.
The nerves hit fast once he got his shot. “I was shaking so bad, the nerves were crazy, which obviously didn’t help when you're kicking," he said.
Back in Iowa, his family had no idea how far things had gone until the messages started rolling in. “We started getting texts that Carter was live on TV,” Hannah Smith, Carter’s mom, said. “We knew he was in line but we had no idea that he had been chosen or that he was in the running for the top 300, which is what they narrowed it down to initially.”
Smith missed his first attempt, but the contest gave him another chance. He took it and drilled it through the uprights.
“I wasn't expecting to make the second kick. The first one was alright, but it just wasn’t the [right] distance, neither the angle,” Carter said.
“When I put it through the uprights, my immediate reaction was just ... I was jumping up and down.
I was so happy."
Then came the celebration. “The crowd came in, they threw me up, I was surrounded by the cheerleaders,” Carter said.
“It was a remarkable feeling. Truly amazing.”
For his father, Matt Smith, the last day has barely had time to sink in. “It's been a blur.
I mean, this was just a little more than 24 hours ago this was kind of happening, I guess,” Matt Smith said. “It's starting to set in.
It's still surreal for all of us, I think.”
Even with $3 million now attached to a single kick, Carter Smith says his plans haven’t changed. “I still want to be a dentist.
It's not like I want to drop out of college now that I have this money,” he said. “If anything, it's going to be an opportunity to be a dentist a little bit easier and to be able to help people faster.”
In Other News...
BYUs UCF Test Suddenly Looks Very Different At Quarterback
UCFs quarterback picture for the BYU game has shifted enough to change how the matchup should be viewed heading into the week. Alonza Barnett III, who has been working back from a hamstring injury, is reportedly not expected to start, and coach Scott Frost has made it clear the staff is taking a careful approach with his recovery. Steve Cooper said Barnett has returned to practice on a limited basis, but his status remains up in the air.
For BYU, that adds a new layer to a road test that already had plenty of intrigue. Preparing for one quarterback is one thing, but the Cougars now have to account for a situation that could look different by kickoff, depending on how UCF handles Barnetts availability. Frosts emphasis on avoiding a setback suggests the Knights are thinking long term, even if that leaves some uncertainty for a game that suddenly feels a little less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Bear Bachmeiers Breakout Just Took A Strange Turn After BYUs Upset
Bear Bachmeiers rise went from the center of BYUs biggest win of the season to an unexpected conversation topic almost as soon as the Cougars left the field. After helping BYU knock off No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, and move to 6-0, the freshman quarterback suddenly found himself attached to a broadcast-side anecdote that had little to do with the upset itself and a lot to do with how quickly his name is spreading beyond Provo.
The odd detour comes on the heels of Bachmeier also saying Notre Dame disrespected him and his family during his recruitment, adding another layer to a story that already had enough emotion wrapped around it. BYU has the kind of marquee win that can change the tone of a season, but in Bachmeiers case, the attention now extends well beyond the football field, with one loose, unconfirmed comment threatening to become part of the fallout from an otherwise statement-making night. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Is Still Right In The Big 12 Title Fight
The Big 12 will open the 2026-27 season with plenty of national respect, and BYU is part of that conversation even if the Cougars are sitting at the back end of it. The AP preseason poll put six league teams inside the Top 25, with Arizona pacing the conference at No. 5 and Houston right behind as the Big 12s other top-10 entry, a sign that the league again has the kind of depth that can shape the race from the start.
BYU came in at No. 25, a reminder that the Cougars are still carrying enough credibility to be in the preseason picture even with several league heavyweights ahead of them. Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech also checked in, while TCU landed among the teams receiving votes, giving the Big 12 another familiar look: a crowded field, a clear contender at the top and a lot of teams with a case to be heard once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]