(LEBANON, Ill. – Nov. 16) – McKendree University's Trevor McKinney (Benton, IL/Benton Consolidated) and Blake Jackson (Carterville, IL/Carterville) will compete in the 2020 College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops this week. The Bearcats will be on Lay Lake in Columbiana, Ala., Nov. 17-19.

This bracket is unique because it consists of the top-4 boats from the recently completed 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster National Championship. At the tournament, McKinney and Jackson caught 19-lbs, 1-oz that placed them fourth overall, with a weekend total of 53-lbs, 1-oz.

McKinney and Jackson are two of the top-8 anglers from all collegiate teams across the nation to qualify for this event. The first-place team will go against the fourth-place team, and the second-place team will go against the third-place team. Instead of competing in pairs, the anglers will compete head-to-head as individual anglers.

The winners of the Classic Bracket will earn an entry to the professional circuit, the Bassmaster Classic. Along with the Classic invite, the winners also get their entry paid for the year to fish the Bassmaster Open Series, the largest professional bass tournament in the world . Each event has a potential $300,000 earnings in prize money. They will also receive a fully-wrapped (ex. McKendree logo and McKendree colors) Toyota Tundra and '21 bassboat to use for the year.