Jason Kelce’s “College GameDay” field goal attempt in Timberland boots missed the mark completely on Saturday, but the outdoor footwear manufacturer and parent company VF Corporation are still doubling down on their original pledge to make a huge donation to Hurricane Helene relief.
After weeks of teasing his Timberland-equipped kick, Kelce made his “College GameDay” appearance Saturday ahead of No. 3 Penn State’s home game against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Going into the event, Vans (which is also owned by VF Corp.) challenged Kelce to compete in Pat McAfee’s weekly field goal challenge while wearing the classic Timberland 6-inch wheat boot.
The brand put $100,000 on the line for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Helene, following up on October’s viral moment when University of California, Berkeley student Daniel Villasenor made a “College GameDay” field goal while wearing Vans Slip-On sneakers.
Villasenor won $100,000 for himself while raising a total of $600,000 in relief funds, and Vans and the student continued the philanthropy by challenging Kelce to duplicate the feat in Timberlands.
It all culminated in Kelce’s Saturday attempts, the first of which sailed far left of the uprights. Vans and Timberland then upped the ante to $200,000 for a second-chance kick. That kick, too, traveled left of its destination, resulting in ridicule from McAfee and his co-hosts.
But the story didn’t end there. In a follow-up post on X, McAfee stated the show will still donate $200,000 to the hurricane relief efforts with Vans and Timberland donating an additional $200,000.
What’s more, Timberland is getting viewers involved in the action. A campaign was announced in which fans are challenged to post their own (successful or unsuccessful) field goal attempts while wearing Timberland boots while using the hashtag #kickitforward. The brand will then add to its donation total an additional $100 for each of the first 1,000 entries.
