PROVO - Carter Smith’s biggest moment on national television hasn’t changed the daily grind much at all.
A week after the BYU freshman drilled a field goal in a Spider-Man costume on ESPN’s “College GameDay” - a kick worth $3 million on Pat McAfee’s “Kicking is Easy” segment - he was right back in the classroom, grinding through a Spanish 321 midterm and staring down a biology exam on Monday. Chemistry, he said, is still giving him fits.
Smith is still living the routine of a first-year pre-dental student, even after the kick that made him a millionaire. In fact, the biggest immediate shift seems to be that school feels a little easier to tolerate now.
“I have thought that if I have to take another semester to retake some classes, it’s no longer stressing me out,” Smith told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’ve appreciated that a bit.
“You’ve got to work hard, and then play hard,” he added.
He also hasn’t rushed to make any dramatic life changes. Utah Jazz owners Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney each added $1 million to the weekly contest, and Smith’s winnings total $2 million, with $1 million pledged to charity. He’s currently majoring in biology, but plans to switch to exercise science while finishing his pre-dental coursework.
Still, the money doesn’t quite mean what the headline number says it does. Tax withholdings are estimated at around $700,000, and Smith knows the check that eventually arrives will be a lot smaller than the one that flashed on television.
He hasn’t seen that check yet anyway. Smith said he has completed the paperwork and is waiting for ESPN and McAfee’s side to work through the process. Another winner from the same contest, who took home just over $1 million during “GameDay’s” stop in Austin, Texas, told him the whole thing took “about a month.”
“I know I had this document, it said $2 million on it, and I signed some stuff,” Smith said. “I got it notarized, sent it in, and they said they got it and it looked good and then they’ll get back to me. That’s all I’ve known so far.
“The kid from Texas said they will reach out. It just takes them some time, and there’s a lot to coordinate for them.”
The charity money is still up in the air, too. Smith said he hasn’t been told which organization the Jazz owners plan to support, though he did point out that his parents work for nonprofits in Iowa that help adults with disabilities find homes and caretakers. His preference, if asked, would be for that cause.
His path to the win was almost comically close to not happening at all.
Smith said a friend talked him into getting in line while wearing the Spider-Man costume, and he ended up near the front of the student line around midnight Friday. At one point, another student offered him $400 to give up his spot - enough to cover nearly a month of rent - and Smith admitted he was tempted.
“I didn’t really care that much about ‘GameDay,’” the former high school soccer player said, “so I almost took that.”
Then came the selection process. ESPN didn’t call his number at first, and then the first pick couldn’t go through because he didn’t have his physical ID.
“He didn’t have his physical ID, so he wasn’t able to make the kick,” Smith said. “Then they called my ticket second.
“I’m not the kind of guy who likes a lot of attention; I kind of tend to keep to myself. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much pressure in one moment.”
After that, Smith buried the second attempt and was immediately lifted into the air by a swarm of BYU students who had broken through a barrier to celebrate.
That kicked off a day - and week - of attention he said he wasn’t used to. Before he and his friends even made it to their seats at LaVell Edwards Stadium for Saturday’s top-10 matchup with then-No. 2 Notre Dame, fans were stopping him constantly for photos and selfies.
“It was pretty overwhelming,” said Smith, who grew up in Honey Creek, Iowa, near the Nebraska border. “I tried to be polite and take pictures with everybody, because I didn’t want to disappoint anybody. But it was a lot for me.
“I’ve slowly gotten used to it. Luckily, when I’m not in my Spider-Man costume, it’s pretty rare for someone to stop me anymore and ask for a picture. Some people will give me an extra glance, but they aren’t constantly running over to me and asking for a picture, either.”
The media side of it has piled up, too. Smith has dealt with interview requests from local TV stations and CBS’ morning show, while also hearing from financial advisers trying to get in the mix with investment advice.
Amid all that, he’s still trying to keep up with class. He said he was only recently planning to “lock in for about six hours” to study for Chemistry 105, and that his schedule has been packed with a podcast appearance with former BYU receiver Chase Roberts, a visit to football practice and a tour of the facility.
“I’ve been pretty busy,” he said. “Last night, I went on the (Two Point Conversion) podcast with (former BYU receiver) Chase Roberts. I got to go to football practice and toured the facility, too.
“School is still kicking my butt. I have even less time to study, and BYU is already hard enough. I’m kind of behind, but we’ll get through it.”
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Nick Saban Just Put BYU And Kalani Sitake In The Spotlight
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The praise landed with even more weight because Saban pointed to the confidence BYU carried into its game against Notre Dame, a performance that helped fuel the buzz around the program. The Cougars College GameDay appearance drew more than 3 million viewers, and 9.2 million watched the upset of Notre Dame, so the spotlight on Sitakes team is no longer just local or regional. The bigger question now is how much more attention this run can keep generating. [Read more 🡒]