Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut from Auburn University, who won the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, will be among the eight competitors at the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s Sept. 29-Oct. 2 on Lake Milford.
Photo by Chase Sansom/B.A.S.S.

September 26, 2023

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — Fishing fans and college sports enthusiasts alike will have three days to catch live coverage of the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s on Milford Lake from Junction City, Kan., Sept. 29-Oct. 2

The event pits the season’s eight top college anglers against one another for a coveted spot in the 2024 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota. On Day 1 of the event, all eight anglers will compete individually to determine seeding and set the bracket for head-to-head competition.

FS1 kicks off a day of college sports with morning action from Day 2 of the tournament beginning at 7 a.m. CT. Bassmaster College Classic Bracket LIVE will feature real-time coverage from every boat on Saturday and Sunday as anglers battle to advance. Continuing coverage of the tournament each afternoon and on Monday can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms.

The 2023 Bassmaster College Team of the Year — Easton Fothergill and Nick Dumke from the University of Montevallo — automatically punched their ticket to the College Classic Bracket to compete alongside the Top 3 teams from the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops in this individual, elimination-style tournament.

Fothergill has endured a harrowing few weeks, undergoing emergency surgery to remove a brain abscess just days after finishing fifth at the National Championship. After enduring what he described as the scariest moments of his life, Fothergill was medically cleared to compete in the Bracket last week.

“When this all happened, my first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh, I put all this work in and finally made it to the Bracket, and I’m not going to be able to fish it,’” Fothergill said. “I was really down in the hospital thinking about it. But, luckily, I came through and all the doctors came together and got me feeling up to it.”

Joining Fothergill and Dumke will be national champions Hayden Marbut and Tucker Smith from Auburn University, Levi Mullins and Matthew Cummings from Bethel University and a second Montevallo team, Brody Robison and Jack Alexander.

This is the second trip to the College Classic Bracket for Smith, who finished second by just 3 ounces in 2021.

The event is being hosted by the Geary County, Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Date	Time (All times Central)	Network
Saturday, September 30	7 a.m. – 11 a.m.	FS1; FOX Sports Digital; Bassmaster.com
	12 p.m. – 2 p.m.	Bassmaster.com
	3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.	Bassmaster.com
Sunday, October 1	7 a.m. – 10 a.m.	FS1; FOX Sports Digital; Bassmaster.com
	11 a.m. – 2 p.m.	Bassmaster.com
	3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.	Bassmaster.com
Monday, October 2	7 a.m. – 11 a.m.	Bassmaster.com
	12 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Bassmaster.com