college

Meet the 2026 College Classic Cup contenders

Meet the seven college anglers slated to compete for a spot in the 2027 Bassmaster Classic at the College Classic Cup presented by Lew's. It will all go down Oct. 8-10 on Wilson Lake, Alabama. Catch all the action on Bassmaster.com and Roku.

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Solomon Glenn
Minnesota
To round out the Strike King Bassmaster College Series season, we have the final event. The prestigious College Classic Bracket is now the College Classic Cup, the same amazing event with an incredible opportunity for the winner, just in a three-day cumulative weight format instead of the head-to-head bracket. The angler with the heaviest weight after three days will claim his spot in the 2027 Bassmaster Classic! This year’s event will go down on Wilson Lake in Florence, Alabama, Oct. 8-10.
As of 2026, five current Bassmaster Elite Series anglers are former Classic Bracket winners, including two Bassmaster Classic champions — Jordan Lee and Easton Fothergill. Pictured above are John Garrett (2026, Bethel University), Cody Huff (2019, Bethel University), Jordan Lee (2013, Auburn University), Easton Fothergill (2024, University of Montevallo), and Jacob Foutz (2015, Bryan College).
Last year’s champion was Tripp Berlinsky of the University of North Alabama, who took the win on Watauga Lake in Tennessee!
He had a very respectable Classic showing by finishing 17th on the Tennessee River, in Knoxville, Tenn. Berlinsky is currently fishing the Bassmaster Elite Qualifier series for his chance at the Elite Series.
A Classic spot isn’t the only prize on the line. The winner will receive a fully rigged Nitro Z20 bass boat and a Toyota Tundra wrapped in their school colors that they get to use for the following year. Also included is paid entry into one division of Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens.
This year’s class is stacked as ever, and each of the four teams has had incredible seasons.
This year, the last four spots were up for grabs at the College Championship on Leech Lake where University of Montevallo’s Brody Robison and Peyton Sorrow claimed the victory with 61 pounds, 3 ounces of smallmouth.
Ben Burns and Grant Pursifull of Stephen F. Austin University claimed overall Team of the Year by capping off their incredible season of third, ninth and fifth with a ninth-place finish on Leech Lake. They ended with a cumulation of 978 points, 18 ahead of their nearest contender. This duo is competing in this event for the second year in a row. They double-qualified for the Cup by also winning Team of the Year on the Legends Trail with 736 points. The Legends Trail qualification went to second place in points — Ligon and Fisher of Emmanuel University.
Ben Burns
Stephen F. Austin University
Grant Pursifull
Stephen F. Austin University
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University of Montevallo anglers Brody Robison and Peyton Sorrow sealed their Classic Cup qualification by winning the College Championship at Leech Lake. This is after a very solid season that brought them to second in overall Team of the Year as well. Robison will take on the prestigious event for the second time, while Sorrow will experience it for the first time this week.
Brody Robison
University of Montevallo
Peyton Sorrow
University of Montevallo
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Anderson Jones from Lander University has been a continuous threat for several years now. Choosing to fish solo, he has three Bassmaster College wins, including a College Classic victory. One of those victories came this year on the James River as he went on to claim Team of the Year by himself in the Lunkers Trail.
Anderson Jones
Lander University
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Emmanuel University’s Scooter Ligon and Logan Fisher were the beneficiaries of Burn’s and Pursifull’s double qualification. But they are no slouches, as they missed winning the Legends Trail Team of the Year by just one point. Their finishes were second, 13th and third, which shows just how good they are. They finished the year with a 33rd on Leech Lake and will look to give it their best shot this week at the College Classic Cup on Wilson Lake.
Scooter Ligon Jr.
Emmanuel University
Logan Fisher
Emmanuel University
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The stage is set for the Bassmaster College Cup presented by Lew’s. One of these seven anglers will be headed to the 2027 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell in a brand-new Toyota Tundra and Nitro Z20. Watch it go down live on Bassmaster.com.

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