Notre Dame football fan, leprechaun nail $1.5 million ‘College GameDay’ kicks

Pat McAfee ‘s “Kicking is Easy” contest has taken a turn in recent weeks on “ College GameDay. ” The ESPN personality was giving out a lot of money early during the 2026 college football season, especially after SEC stops at Ole Miss and Texas. In total, McAfee’s given away over $14 million since the inception of his popular kicking competition. Last week, an Indiana Hoosiers fan dramatically missed two consecutive kicks for the chance at $1 million. Saturday’s trip to Notre Dame football included a special guest before the field goal contest even took place. NFL and Fighting Irish great Joe Montana appeared on set to help give pre-med student Michael Milano some good luck. The lefty college football fan missed his first attempt wide right, but he made good on his second try despite McAfee making the contest even more challenging. McAfee added to the show’s theatrics by bringing out fake blockers, one of which featuring legendary Miami Hurricanes star Michael Irvin’s face on it. Milano told Kirk Herbstreit and McAfee that he had never kicked before, but showed up to the event wearing cleats. MORE: Best ‘College GameDay’ signs from Week 10: Miami vs. Notre Dame Luck of the Irish in full effect The Notre Dame student sent the Irish crowd into a frenzy after another successful kick in McAfee’s contest. Meanwhile, Milano’s kick wasn’t the only spectacle on Saturday morning. The Notre Dame leprechaun mascot named Riley also attempted a $500,000 kick that went to charity. Montana and the Fighting Irish crowd watched the leprechaun drill his second kick after narrowly missing short on the first one. It could be a great omen for Notre Dame before the team’s massive showdown with No. 1 ranked Miami on Saturday evening. MORE: 5 keys to victory in Notre Dame vs. Miami playoff elimination game Notre Dame hosts Miami in a massive battle of AP Top 25 ranked teams. Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium will begin at at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be watched on NBC and Peacock. —   Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter   —