Like so many others, Brycen Williamson is heading back to school, but the 19-year-old son of Elite pro Jason Williamson returns to Erskine College with varied emotions and increased resolve.
The Williamsons have great hopes the college experience will bolster Brycen’s fishing career and help him follow his father’s footsteps. He left school last March after tragedy struck the private Christian school in Due West, S.C. Brycen’s close friend and team partner, Jack Hunt, died in a boating accident.
“It’s been a really difficult time for everybody,” Jason said. “I’m sure Brycen wondered why did that have to happen. It plays with your mind, your emotions.
“But he’s dealt with it well. Time has kind of healed it as much as it can be healed. I told Brycen he’s got to kind of use it to his advantage, go up there and fish hard for Jack.”
Erskine bass fishing coach Ryan Teems said Hunt’s death affected the entire community, especially Brycen, in whom he sees renewed purpose.
“It took a big toll on Brycen, and he needed to step aside. The time that he’s had off, it’s kind of kick-started the level of seriousness. He’s got a whole other reason to fight for his dream,” said Teems, whose Flying Fleet squad is dedicating its efforts for Hunt with the hashtag #Caughtitforjack. “One of the anglers came up with that, and it’s really the whole team’s motto. I’m excited to see Brycen get back and what’s to come of it.”
Teems hopes Brycen will be one of the building blocks to help his young team become a major player in the college bass fishing world. The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops continues to grow, with hundreds of schools fielding teams. Adrian College just won the 2021 National Championship, and the College Bracket competition to determine the series’ automatic Classic berth will be held this fall. The College Series has sent an angler to the Classic for the past decade.
Behind Teems’ efforts, Erskine is now among the dozen or so schools offering bass fishing scholarships. That helped attract Brycen, who had a number of options. Jason said they fell in love with Teems’ personality and vision, and it didn’t hurt that Erskine is less than two hours from home in Wagener, S.C.
“Ryan has a true passion for the outdoors,” Jason said. “He’s a great leader and a great person. He wants to win, and he wants the recognition for his team and his guys, but he also helps them out in the school and business end. He does a really good job of staying in contact, making the kids feel almost like he’s a second dad.”
Maybe more like older brother, since Teems is among the youngest head coaches at 24. He fished on Erskine’s club team then convinced the athletic director to the benefits of making it a school-affiliated sport. That also got him hired as coach in May of 2019, and plans like this were most likely why.
“It’s not necessarily just trying to be best on water, my goal is to create a culture on the team,” Teems said. “Focus on these guys and help them grow in three major ways: their personal lives; the classroom; and on the water. Target mental, physical and spiritual well-being, then we can push and challenge them and create behavior that turns into a culture.
“It’s a family. We’re a very close team. We are young. Competing with the Auburns, Bethels, I see as we grow, we’re going to start making a huge impact.”
Williamson said he believes bass fishing will become an elite sport for Erskine. He noted that the team is comprised of mostly freshmen, and Teems did his homework in recruiting anglers from varying fisheries. The balanced rosters includes anglers strong on deep lakes, shallow flippers, dock anglers, among others, who can teach each other.
“He’s just super focused on building a young squad that’s successful over the next four to six years,” Williamson said. “He’s done a really good job of recruiting, and I’m super impressed how he’s gotten all the people from different angles.”
For all his research, Teems didn’t realize that Brycen was Williamson’s son. Brycen caught Teems’ eye from his successes. Teaming with younger brother, Landon, the Williamson boys cleaned up on the Palmetto Boat Center circuit, winning back-to-back Angler of the Year titles. Visiting another tournament, Teems recognized and approached Brycen.
“At the time, I had no idea he was Jason’s son,” Teems said. “I had zero connection there. I was talking with him, and he just carried himself in such a mature way. I watched him interact with other anglers. He was very respectful. He was clear in what his goals were, and he was interested in our school.”
The recruitment process was three or four months in when Brycen told Teems he was going to a far-off Elite event, leading to questions and the dots getting connected.
“His name shines on its own, but when I did find out Jason as his dad, it definitely sparked more interest,” Teems said. “This could be huge help to a young team in how to get a head start in the industry.”
Williamson said he’s willing to help any way he can, whether that be intelligence on different fisheries, sponsor-related questions or tapping into his connections. Williamson’s title sponsor Blue Otter Polarized has been in touch with Teems.
From fishing the Elites since 2007 with two victories and five Classic qualifications, Williamson has a pretty good perspective on what’s required to advance to a pro circuit, and what potential sponsors desire.
“A lot of people don’t understand there’s so much more to fishing competitively than just knowing how to fish,” Jason said. “Through four years of college, you can learn a lot about the industry, make contacts and build relationships.
“It’s a pretty incredible thing if you ask me. I wish it was around for me. I probably would have had higher grades, better attendance and more focus.”
There are a number of pro anglers’ sons fishing in college. Erskine’s 20-plus angler roster includes Marshall Robinson, son of former Elite angler Marty Robinson. From growing up with a pro, Jason Williamson said he thinks those youth have an advantage.
“These kids may have leg up because they’ve seen us work for sponsors, build the relationships,” he said. “They’ve seen more of the marketing side. And I think college will give them four years to work for a sponsor to learn how to be productive for them. And not just on the water making casts and catching bass, but from a business standpoint. I think the college program really helps mold these kids into better marketing people. They produce better for sponsors within the industry.”
After competing from a young age and through high school, incoming freshmen are more savvy than most with their electronics, social media and advertising, Williamson said. Many already have followings on YouTube channels, and he believes being in a good college program could help them transition into a fishing career.
“These kids have a better understanding of how all that works, and just from going through four years of a college program, they can become so much more valuable to the industry as a whole rather than just an ole country guy who knows how to catch a bass.”
College tournaments are uber competitive and draw more than 200 boats for most events, and a number of college anglers have graduated to the professional level. About 20% of Elite Series anglers fished on college teams, and Williamson said he thinks there could be another growth spurt on the collegiate level with more schools seeing the value of offering scholarships.
“I think the private colleges like Erskine are able to offer a little bit more scholarships than the big schools right now,” he said. “Bass fishing is getting bigger, it’s getting better, and I think that will push some of the bigger schools to offer more scholarships.”
