INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 14, 2026 – Building Tomorrow is benefiting from the generosity of a University of Texas freshman and his remarkable athletic talent.
After successfully kicking a 33-yard field goal on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay and another during the University of Texas vs. Ohio State University football game on September 12, Kacena-Merrell has pledged half of his total $2.2 million winnings to Building Tomorrow.
“I’m so excited to use this opportunity to give back to Building Tomorrow, an organization making a real impact and which I care so deeply about,” said Kacena-Merrell.
Kacena-Merrell was randomly selected to participate in Pat McAfee’s ESPN College GameDay “Kicking is Easy” field goal competition for $1 million. Before the kick, Kacena-Merrell said that if successful, he would donate half his winnings to Building Tomorrow. After missing the first attempt, co-hosts Matthew McConaughey and Kirk Herbstreit each pledged an additional $100,000, bringing the prize to $1.2 million. Connor made the second attempt, sailing the football between the goal posts and earning $600,000 for himself and $600,000 for Building Tomorrow’s foundational learning efforts.
The Titos Foundation pledged an additional $1 million to charities of Kacena-Merrell’s choosing if he made a third kick, this time on the field of Darrel K. Royal Stadium in front of 100,000+ football fans during the Texas vs. Ohio State game. Kacena-Merrell did it again, pledging half to Building Tomorrow and half to the Central Texas Food Bank.
The desire to do good runs deep for Kacena-Merrell, who said, “I knew I had an opportunity to make a huge impact for a cause I care so much about, and that’s what motivated me to see the kicks through. I wanted to help ensure more kids had access to education just like I did.”
“When the limelight comes to you, it’s all about how you respond, and Connor was unequivocal. There was no doubt the kick was about something bigger than himself,” said George Srour, Building Tomorrow Co-Founder and Chief Dreamer.
Kacena-Merrell first began his philanthropic journey with Building Tomorrow in 2020 as a middle school student, leading a group of peers to raise $60,000, nicknaming themselves the “Jr. Dreamers.” The Jr. Dreamers traveled to Uganda to help a community in Kiruhura District construct a primary school.
Six years later, Kacena-Merrell’s continued commitment to Building Tomorrow will bring foundational literacy and numeracy programming to nearly 80,000 children across East Africa.
“Connor’s generosity will give thousands of girls and boys in Uganda and Rwanda the chance to read, write, and do math, opening doors to new opportunities. We’re incredibly grateful that he chose to use this moment to help create something bigger, inspiring us all,” said Srour.
About Building Tomorrow
Founded in 2006, Building Tomorrow supports community-powered foundational learning in East Africa. Through the organization’s signature Roots to Rise (R2R) literacy and numeracy program delivered in classrooms and community settings, Building Tomorrow has enrolled more than 1.2 million learners since the start of the program, reaching a child with reading, writing, and math programming every 78 seconds. Building Tomorrow’s work is powered by a team of over 25,700 Community Education Volunteers, in partnership with teachers and local and national-level stakeholders. Building Tomorrow is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization with offices in Indianapolis, USA; Kampala, Uganda; and Kigali, Rwanda.
Media Contact:
Jyl Strong, Building Tomorrow
jyl.strong@buildingtomorrow.org
317-460-7592