Dylan Nutt delivered a dominant performance to capture the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, hauling in a three-day total of 66 pounds, 13 ounces on the Tennessee River.

The 22-year-old Nashville native and University of North Alabama senior became just the second B.A.S.S. Nation angler ever to win bass fishing’s biggest prize — the first since Bryan Kerchal in 1994.

Nutt surged ahead with a tournament-best 26 pounds, 11 ounces on Day 2 and never looked back. Fishing Fort Loudoun Reservoir, he quickly filled a limit Sunday morning and continued upgrading fish to secure the championship in front of a roaring home-state crowd at Knoxville’s Food City Arena.

Using a Berkley prototype soft-plastic minnow, Nutt sealed one of the most impressive Classic wins in recent memory — turning a B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier into the king of bass fishing’s biggest stage.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Easton Fothergill, Grand Rapids, Minn., fourth with 56-2; JT Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., fifth with 55-5; Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., sixth with 55-0; Drew Cook, Cairo, Ga., seventh with 54-4; Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., eighth with 52-12; Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, ninth with 50-0; and Wesley Gore, Clanton, Ala., 10th with 48-11.

Cook also claimed the $2,500 Mercury Big Bass Award for a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass on Day 2, while Thompkins won the Day 3 Big Bass prize of $1,000 with a 5-11 catch.

For his tournamentbest 26-11 limit on Day 2, Nutt earned the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag award and its $7,000 prize. As the top finisher in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, Nutt also pocketed an additional $10,000, while Fothergill received $5,000 for finishing second in the program.