Pat McAfee has already given away $11 million through his kicking challenge, but his latest episode came with a twist nobody saw coming. The raffle winner had the chance to take the kick, only to let his best friend have a go instead. A generous gesture? Perhaps. A decision he might regret? Quite possibly. Yet even after the kick went sideways, McAfee stuck to his word and gave away the money.

ESPN’s College GameDay rolled into Coleman Coliseum at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the Crimson Tide vs. Bulldogs showdown. But before kickoff, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit put $1 million on the line for a kick.

There was just one twist: the original raffle winner, Sam, handed the opportunity to his best friend, Mason Hill, a cybersecurity major who had once kicked in high school. McAfee brought out the dummy blockers and made one thing clear: Mason had just one shot. No second chances. So, how did his first kick go? A complete flop.

The crowd erupted, pleading for a second chance, and Pat McAfee agreed. But Mason failed once again to send the ball between the two vertical uprights, missing out on the $1 million prize. However, McAfee had a different kind of surprise in store, announcing a $550,000 donation for “recovery efforts here in Alabama.”

Hurricane Isaias continues to batter the region, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Nearly 900,000 people across Georgia, Florida, and Alabama were without power, according to CBS News.

Although the storm has weakened, the threat is far from over, with forecasts warning of powerful winds, flash flooding, and storm surges across much of the Southeast through the weekend. Isaias is expected to dissipate on Sunday.

While storm surge warnings have been lifted, strong winds continue to threaten the Southeast, National Hurricane Center meteorologist Robbie Berg told the Associated Press.

“So even though it has become post-tropical, it still does remain a wind threat, as well as a heavy rainfall threat. We could see some areas of significant flash flooding over the next couple of days,” Berg said.

After striking Florida’s Gulf Coast near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday evening, Isaias quickly weakened. However, its powerful winds left hundreds of thousands without power across Alabama and Florida’s Panhandle by early Saturday.

While the hurricane’s monetary damage is yet to be determined, it is clear that a massive number of people have been affected. Pat McAfee’s donation will certainly help ease some of their pain.

For the 2026 season, long-time College GameDay sponsor Home Depot has also joined the kicking challenge as a sponsor. They match Pat McAfee’s contribution every week. And it’s not the first time the ESPN broadcaster has been charitable with the people who miss their kicks.

In Week 5, after student contestant Finley Banfig missed her FG attempts, McAfee let former Iowa and NFL star Dallas Clark step in to drill a kick. That secured the student and the Iowa Children’s Hospital $150,000 each.

Meanwhile, according to the latest updates, the clash between Alabama and the Bulldogs is expected to take place as scheduled, as conditions have improved.