Copyright NBC10 Boston
With half a million dollars on the line, Vanderbilt University sophomore Tyler Hwang was locked in. The alum from Dover-Sherborn High School in Massachusetts was selected at random over the weekend to kick a 33-yard field goal on ESPN's "College GameDay" before Vanderbilt hosted Missouri in Nashville. Hwang opted to take on the challenge wearing only his socks and smashed it through the uprights to win $500,000 — and another $250,000 for charity. ESPN hosts Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit called it the "best kick" they've ever seen on the show. When asked how he'll spend the money, Hwang said he would help his parents pay for his education. Hwang is studying chemical engineering and economics at Vanderbilt. He graduated in 2024 from Dover-Sherborn High School, where his athletic experience served him well for this life-changing moment. "Great kid, great attitude, worked his butt off," said Joe Gruseck, who has been coaching soccer at the high school for more than three decades. Hwang was on the soccer team for three years playing midfield and forward. Gruseck still remembers his breakout moment. "The one thing that sticks out was one year, we were scrimmaging in Franklin, and he was kind of on the bubble, and he wound up hitting this shot that everybody went, 'Oh, this kid can play,'" Gruseck said. During his senior year, Hwang kicked for the Raiders football team. Coach Steve Ryan wasn't the least bit surprised by his monumental kick on live television. "I was thrilled for him to make this, and immediately went and looked, and there are definitely kickers who make less than $500,000," Ryan said. Both Ryan and Gruseck said their phones were blowing up over the weekend, adding to the excitement. Hwang's kick was the talk of the school Monday morning, and it's clear the Dover-Sherborn community is proud to call him one of its own. "I'm absolutely thrilled any time our kids do anything in the future with football, but Tyler was a kid you knew was going to land on his feet and do something special in the future," said Ryan. "He was just a great kid all the time."
