Let's get into it!
The list of accolades for this duo from Auburn is quite lengthy, but most recently Parks and Smith took home more than $1,000,000 in winnings from the Bass Pro Shops US Open Team Championship back in November. While that was an impressive feat, the Auburn team had one of the most historic college seasons and won the 2021 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year award. Over the course of the four regular season events in 2021, Parks and Smith never finished lower than 16th and topped off the regular season with a win at Saginaw Bay. Smith won three consecutive Bassmaster High School Series National Championships, and both anglers were selected as Bassmaster High School All-Americans. Look for this extremely talented duo to pick up right where they left off this season.
The talented duo of Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes of Adrian College are the reigning Bassmaster College Series National Champions. On top of their dramatic National Championship victory, the duo also notched two Top 15 finishes in the regular season, including a second place finish at Smith Lake. These anglers have the talent to become household names before too long.
Lucas Smith was a part of the Team of the Year in 2020 with teammate Zeke Gossett. Smith came back in 2021 and finished second in the Team of the Year standings with new partner Dalton Mize, proving that he is a force to be reckoned with. Keep an eye on this Jacksonville State duo in 2022.
After discussing this list with current college anglers, one thing was evident – the team of Ben Cully and Hayden Gaddis of Carson-Newman is one of the most respected in the country. Cully and Gaddis took home a win at the first stop of the 2021 season at Lake Hartwell and registered two more Top 12 finishes in 2021. The talented duo finished fifth in the 2021 Team of the Year standings.
Sporting cowboy hats for good luck, the Auburn University team of Conner Crosby and James Cobbs has a lot of potential. After a tough start to the 2021 season, the Auburn team got hot at the end of the season and made an incredible comeback on the final day of the 2021 National Championship to earn their spots in the College Classic Bracket. After falling short at the Bracket, this duo should be hungry for success this year.
Liberty’s Jack Dice is one of the single most impressive anglers in the College Series. Competing as an individual against the best collegiate teams in the country is a difficult task, and Dice has done just that. In 2021, Dice won the Lake Cumberland event, fishing against nearly 250 other teams. Dice is a name that you’ll want to remember.
After a tough regular season in 2021, Christy and Schroeder had an impressive showing at the 2021 Bassmaster College Series National Championship with a seventh-place finish. This is one of the most experienced teams in the country. Back in 2019, Christy and Schroeder finished fourth at the National Championship and competed in the College Classic Bracket. Also worth noting – Schroeder is a former Bassmaster High School All-American.
Montevallo’s Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell are also extremely experienced and have shown to be versatile across the country. The duo from Georgia registered a third-place finish at Lake Cumberland in 2021, and they have qualified for the Bassmaster College National Championship all three years they have fished as a team. Culpepper is also a former Bassmaster High School All-American.
Although the 2021 season was a struggle for the Bryan College team, Justin Botts and Conner Dimauro certainly have what it takes. Dimauro and recent Bryan graduate Cole Sands broke records when they won the 2020 National Championship on the Harris Chain with a three-day total of 84 pounds, 12 ounces. Look for this team to bounce back early in 2022.
A former Bassmaster High School All-American, Morris has fished with a few different partners since his arrival at the University of Montevallo, but he found success fishing solo in 2021. Morris is early in his collegiate fishing career, but look for him to make a splash in 2022.
Alabama’s Tyler Lubbat and Hayden O’Barr have been the model of consistency over the last few seasons. In 2022, the duo will strive to qualify for their fourth consecutive National Championship. Lubbat and O’Barr have plenty of solid finishes under their belt, including a 30th-place finish at Smith Lake, but 2022 could be the year they make a splash.
Auburn’s Garrett Warren (right) saw success during the 2021 season fishing with Will Jones. The duo notched three Top 50 finishes and ended the season in sixth place in the Team of the Year race. In 2022, Warren will team up with former Bassmaster High School All-American and High School National Champion Hayden Marbut (not pictured). Look for this talented team to make a statement this season.
Britt Myers and Tyler Anderson of Lander University have also showed consistency over the last couple of years. The team registered two Top 20 finishes in 2021 and will look to qualify for their fourth consecutive National Championship this season.
Matt and Lafe Messer showed a lot of promise during the 2021 season. The brothers from Kentucky Christian University registered three Top 30 finishes in 2021 and finished ninth in the Team of the Year race.
Andrew Rickman and Michael Postlewait of Dallas Baptist University flew under the radar in 2021. The duo only fished the Wild Card event on Lay Lake, but they finished second and followed that up with a solid showing in the National Championship.
Beau Browning (left) of Drury University found success in 2021 fishing with Hunter Baird as a freshman. After a 14th-place finish at Lake Cumberland and a solid showing at the National Championship, Browning will take the leap and fish all four regular season events in 2022 with freshman Jake Peck (not pictured). Worth noting – Hunter Baird is paired up with Cole Breeden for the first event of the season, and that could also be a deadly duo.
Emmanuel College has made a splash in the college fishing world and that is largely due to the success of Chase Carey and Dylan Akins. In 2021, the duo never finished lower than 40th in any of the four regular season events, which resulted in a fourth-place finish in the Team of the Year.
By the looks of it, Jack York and Jacob Miller of Stephen F. Austin University are capable of falling in line with a long list of East Texas hammers. In 2021, York and Miller had a seventh-place finish at Lake Harwell, an 11th-place finish on Smith Lake and a 25th-place finish at the National Championship on the St. Lawrence River.
As Ronnie Moore said, Stevie Mills hit the “transfer portal” and moved across the state from Bethel University to Carson-Newman University. Mills made a run in the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket in 2021 after qualifying with teammate, and eventual Bracket champion, Tristan McCormick. Look for Mills and teammate Brady Duncan to show out in 2022.
A pair of former Bassmaster High School All-Americans, Jackson Swisher and Seth Slanker of Florida Gateway College showed that they can compete outside of the state of Florida with a 35th-place finish at the National Championship at the St. Lawrence River. With the season starting in Florida, look for this team to have a breakout year.
Montevallo’s Easton Fothergill and Nick Dumke had a solid season in 2021 with a seventh-place finish at Lake Hartwell as well as a 26th-place finish at Saginaw Bay. Despite going to school in Alabama, both anglers are from Minnesota. This young team is becoming well rounded and has lots of potential.
Blue Mountain’s Isaac Duncan and Fisher Overton are veterans of the Bassmaster College Series. In 2021, both anglers fished with different partners finding sporadic success, but in 2022 look for this duo to be deadly.
