Vanderbilt football was once the subject of mockery in the SEC, but the program has taken a massive leap forward this season and is set to host ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time since 2008.

The Commodores put together just four winning seasons between 1976 and 2023. This year, behind quarterback and viral sensation Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt has secured a 6-1 overall record after its victory over 10th-ranked LSU on Saturday. The Commodores this week vaulted to No. 10 in the AP Top 25 for the program’s best ranking since 1947.

Vanderbilt next hosts No. 15 Missouri on “College GameDay” this Saturday. Each week on the show, analyst Pat McAfee hosts a field goal contest for students with a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. There have already been three winners of the contest this season.

The Vanderbilt program is making sure its fellow students are well-prepared for the challenge this week. On Wednesday, Commodore kickers took matters into their own hands, hosting a kicking clinic on a campus lawn. There were about 100 Vanderbilt students in attendance to learn crucial tips.

Vanderbilt’s kickers hosted a clinic to get students ready for Pat McAfee’s field goal contest when College GameDay comes to Nashville on Saturday.

Last week’s prize was $400,000. About 100 Vandy students showed up to train. pic.twitter.com/L8YUHwJDsH

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 23, 2025

After the announcement of a “College GameDay” trip to Nashville, staff members of The Vanderbilt Hustler, the school’s student newspaper, discussed the idea of bringing the team’s kickers in to help prepare students for the kicking contest. They reached out to the Vanderbilt communications department, which loved the idea.

“The Hustler put out this news article that was going to happen,” said deputy sports editor Dylan Tovitz. “It picked up a good amount of traction on Twitter. It’s all people have talked about all week here, having ‘GameDay’ and the kicking contest.”

For about an hour on Wednesday afternoon, All-SEC Third Team kicker Brock Taylor, punter Nick Haberer and other members of special teams were out on Alumni Lawn helping students learn how to prepare for the big day.

Inspired by the article, students produced a great turnout with a range of skill levels. Some were experienced kickers looking for tweaks, and others were there to learn everything about the art. Tovitz captured some video of the event and posted it on his personal social media, where other outlets picked it up.

“Taylor is very involved in campus, and is also very well-known,” Tovitz said. “It was pretty cool for the students who got to test it out.”

At first, Haberer was fulfilling his holding duties for students as he would during a game. That didn’t last long.

“Someone must have told him, you do not want to be holding this ball,” Tovitz said. “We need you to not break a finger when someone who doesn’t know how to kick tries to kick. He stopped holding it, and they put up a tee.”

The excitement around Vanderbilt’s campus is unlike anything Tovitz has experienced. Last season’s improbable victory over Alabama at home was the first sign to many in Nashville that things were changing. After a 7-6 campaign last fall, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea’s program has continued to improve.

“This is a university, a community, that never had any reason to think that when an SEC team came into town, there was even a point of going to the game,” Tovitz said. “By beating not only a powerhouse, but what was then the number one team in the country, and by beating them in that fashion, it sort of infused hope into the student fanbase. When I mean hope, I mean the belief that every game is worth going to and caring about because this team has a chance to win.”

Tovitz described a fun experience when he was grabbing lunch on Thursday related to the hype around the program.

“Someone’s order was ready, and you have to write your name on your order,” Tovitz said. “And somebody put their name as Pavia. And then the lunch worker was yelling, ‘Pavia! Pavia!’ It’s just stuff like that which shows the fanbase’s enthusiasm.”

Are Vanderbilt students truly ready to win the kick contest? That question will be answered this weekend.