Full circle: UGA student who made ‘College GameDay’ FG challenge met Pat McAfee at camp as a kid

ATHENS, Ga. — Call it a full-circle moment for Henry Silver.

On Saturday, Silver won $800,000 with a single field goal kick during a Pat McAfee Kicking contest on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” which took place on the University of Georgia’s campus.

But Silver, a soccer player, had basically been training his whole life for that kick. As a child, Silver met Pat McAfee at a camp.

After the kick, Silver even changed his profile photo on Instagram to a picture of him as a child with the ESPN host and analyst.

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McAfee held a raffle during “College GameDay” for a UGA student to make a 33-yard field goal to win $200,000 for themselves and another $200,000 to be donated to hurricane relief.

The raffle winner, Belle Sessions, told McAfee there’s no way she could make the kick. Luckily, Silver, who was standing next to her, said he would do it and split the money with her if he made it.

At the last minute, McAfee upped the ante and doubled the money on the table, meaning Silver and Sessions would win $200,000 each and another $400,000 would be donated to hurricane relief if Silver made the kick. And make it, he did.

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“For him to make that kick: not good kicking shoes, not good kicking ball, not good kicking surface. He’d been there since 6 p.m. the night before, so it’s not like he was warming up,” McAfee said.

Silver’s day got even better on Saturday night when the Bulldogs defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 31-17.

Warning: The video below contains some explicit language.

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