University of Utah special teams coordinator Sharrieff Shah received an email on Tuesday morning that may have stood out among the rest. It was from Jonah Knubel, a 21-year-old senior finance student at the University of Utah, who just days earlier had kicked the field goal of a lifetime.
In his message, Knubel highlighted his skill under pressure and even said he would be willing to get a master’s degree if the team needed another kicker.
Knubel, from Sandy, Utah, got the opportunity of a lifetime on "College GameDay," ESPN’s pre-game show that travels to different campuses each week. The show was in town Saturday as the Utes prepared to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats later that evening.
Knubel’s moment started the night before.
Determined to get a chance to kick, Knubel and his friends showed up to the “GameDay” set at 4:30 p.m. Friday and camped out overnight, hoping to snag a raffle ticket, he told the Deseret News.
When the gates opened, Knubel was one of the first 300 fans into the pit and secure a ticket. But when the winning number was called around 7:50 a.m., Knubel recalled, it wasn’t his.
The student whose number was called, Garret Morris, happened to know Knubel’s best friend. Morris didn’t really want to take the kick and as he made his way up to the front of the crowd, Knubel’s best friend volunteered for him to step in. The pair struck a deal: Knubel would take the kick, and they’d split the prize money.
A lifelong soccer player and kicker for his high school football team his senior year, Knubel didn’t hesitate.
His first attempt sailed wide right, but in true football fashion, host Pat McAfee had called a timeout before to ice the kicker. Morris had also called one, earning Knubel a second chance. This time for $500,000 total, half to be split between the duo, the other half to a local charity.
Though the second kick was a close call, Knubel nailed it and he knew it. “I was over the moon with excitement,” he told Deseret News.
You can watch the kick here (language).
For Knubel, the moment was bigger than the money. Even if he hadn’t made the kick, he told the Deseret News, he’d never forget the experience, being there with his friends and cheering on the Utes.
Knubel’s takeaway from the day is a motto he tries to always carry with him: don’t take life too seriously. He believes the key to success is staying calm and having fun, even in big moments.
It’s the same spirit that draws him to Utah football, the community, the connection and the pride that comes with being a Ute. One of his favorite moments during a home game is the “Moment of Loudness” between the third and fourth quarters, when the entire stadium honors Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, Utah players who died in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Both wore the number 22, which has since been retired by the program, as previously reported by Deseret News.
“It gives you goosebumps,” Knubel said.
When asked what he hopes to tell his kids about that day, Knubel was quick to respond. “Get over the nerves,” he said with a grin. “My heart was racing up there, but I just accepted the nerves. I was just thinking to myself, I’ve done this a million times, just kick it.”
Is it really Pat McAfee’s money?
ESPN’s “College Gameday” field goal segment has become a popular piece of the show, but fans wonder: Is it really Pat McAfee’s money? A story in The Athletic by Chris Vannini, details an answer that might be surprising.
“The segment has become the second most popular on the show, after the game picks,” Vannini wrote. “It’s produced big numbers on social media, especially when McAfee ups the financial offer for a second chance after a miss.”
The idea for the segment came from Pat McAfee, now one of the primary “GameDay” hosts and former Indianapolis Colts punter.
Vannini wrote, “It was McAfee’s idea ahead of the 2023 season to add the field goal contest, where a fan attempts a 33-yard kick to win money from McAfee himself.”
With prizes reaching over $100,000, fans have questioned the source of who pays. Does McAfee really pay out of his own pocket? According to Dan Orlovsky, former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst alongside McAfee, he really does.