Reviewing the College Series prospects from 2026

The 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops is in the books, and it was another fantastic season! The schedule featured six regular-season events (three in each division), a championship in northern Minnesota and a new format for the 2026 Bassmaster College Classic Cup presented by Lew’s. We saw some impressive bags and incredible anglers claim victories in dramatic fashion. Most recently, Brody Robison from the University of Montevallo won the College Classic Cup to punch his ticket to the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic!

Each year, a group of Bassmaster writers puts together a list of teams we expect to excel in the upcoming season. We inevitably miss a few, but this year we identified 27 teams and correctly predicted many of the duos who went on to have strong seasons. Seventeen of our 27 picks qualified for the 134-team championship on Leech Lake, and five finished in the top 10. We also picked five of the seven anglers who qualified for the College Classic Cup, earning HUK College All-American honors.

Let’s look back at some of the teams who lived up to the hype — and a few we overlooked at the beginning of the year.

Who impressed this season?

Teams originally on the prospect list.

Grant Pursifull/Ben Burns – Stephen F. Austin State University: Burns and Pursifull have been remarkably consistent over the past two seasons in the College Series, qualifying for the Classic-qualifying event and becoming Huk College All-Americans for the second year in a row. Last year, they were the Legends Trail Team of the Year. This season, they took home both Legends Trail and Overall Team of the Year honors. Along the way, they finished third, ninth and fifth in the regular season and ninth at the championship. Both also turned in strong performances at the College Classic Cup. It’s hard to imagine how they could top this run, but they still have another year of college eligibility ahead of them.

Peyton Sorrow/Brody Robison – University of Montevallo: After a series of close calls, Sorrow and Robison finally broke through in a big way this season. Their Legends Trail campaign started with a fifth-place finish, followed by a close second and an 11th before they claimed the championship title up north. They carried that momentum to the College Classic Cup on Wilson Lake, where they finished first and second, with Robison securing the Classic berth. Robison is now pursuing a spot on the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series through the Elite Qualifier Series before taking the stage at the Classic. Sorrow has one more season of college eligibility before looking to transition to the Opens.

Anderson Jones – Lander University: The solo angler from Lander University was at it again this season. Jones held off the field of two-angler teams on the Lunkers Trail to earn his spot in the College Classic Cup. He also picked up another College Series victory at the James River, weighing more than 40 pounds over two days. Jones capped his season with a third-place finish at the College Classic Cup. He shows no signs of slowing down, and it may not be long before he’s competing on the sport’s biggest stage.

Lane Clark/Tallis Morrison – Erskine College: Clark and Morrison put together another solid season. Aside from a 58th-place finish at the James River, they consistently found their way up the leaderboard, finishing third, 13th and then 23rd at the championship. Those results helped them secure sixth in the overall Team of the Year standings. Expect this duo to remain in the hunt for years to come on whatever level they fish.

Ethan Fields/Lane Stephens – McKendree University: This veteran duo shifted much of their focus to the Opens, fishing just two regular-season College Series events. They made the most of those opportunities, finishing 20th and sixth before nearly capturing the championship title. They came up just 9 ounces short of the win, settling for second after an impressive performance.

Who did we miss?

Scooter Ligon/Logan Fisher – Emmanuel University: Ligon and Fisher were among the College Classic Cup contenders and Huk College All-Americans we failed to identify on our preseason list. They put together an outstanding season, qualifying for the Cup after finishing second in the overall Team of the Year standings. They competed in five of the six events and, aside from a 37th-place finish, recorded four top 20s. The duo opened the season with a runner-up finish on the Kissimmee Chain and nearly picked up another victory at Kerr Lake, where they finished third.

Trace Antunes/Garrett Ring – University of Montevallo: Although their season didn’t end the way they had hoped, Antunes and Ring proved they can be tough to beat on big-fish fisheries. They claimed two regular-season College Series victories, putting together impressive back-to-back-day totals at both events. On the Kissimmee Chain, they weighed 20-0 and 27-12 to secure the win. At Sam Rayburn Reservoir, they followed with bags of 20-14 and 32-8. When it comes to slugfest events, these two certainly know how to target the biggest fish in the lake.

Riley Brown/Nolan Gray – Carson-Newman University: In just their second season together, Brown and Gray are establishing themselves as a team to watch. Their consistency paid off with a fourth-place finish in the overall Team of the Year standings. With that kind of performance early in their college careers, these two could be ones to track for seasons to come.

With another College Series season in the books, the future looks bright for college bass fishing. Several familiar names continued to establish themselves as top contenders, while a few new teams showed they’re ready to compete with the best. With returning veterans looking to build on successful seasons and rising anglers eager to make their mark, we’re already looking forward to seeing who steps up in 2027.