By: Jonathan Glass | Director of Athletic Communications
SAN ANTONIO (March 3, 2025) – Intersport, producers of the State Farm® College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, announced details for the 2025 State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition, a social media fan voting competition featuring 16 of the nation's top under-the-radar players from all levels of college basketball. This four-week competition will culminate with the winner having the chance to compete in the King's Hawaiian Slam Dunk Contest on April 3 in San Antonio. Saint Leo University senior men's basketball student-athlete has been selected as one of the 16 participants in this years competition. Wilson is the first Lions to participate in the contest since Isaiah Hill was in the contest in 2020.
Fans will determine the winner by voting on the event's Twitter (
@CollegeSlam) and Instagram (
@College_Slam) channels in a bracket-style competition. The Twitter voting window for each round will run for the duration of each round and the Instagram voting window for each round will run for the final 24 hours each week. First-round voting begins today (March 3) at 1 p.m. and runs through Friday at 1 p.m. The athlete with the most votes in each matchup will move on to the next round. The final round will take place March 24-28.
The schedule for each voting round will go as follows:
•
Round One: March 3 at 1 p.m. through March 7 1 p.m. (16 Players)
•
Quarterfinals: March 10 at 1 p.m. through March 14 at 1 p.m. (8 Players)
•
Semifinals: March 17 at 1 p.m. through March 21 at 1 p.m. (4 Players)
•
Finals: March 24 at 1 p.m. through March 28 at 1 p.m. (2 Players)
The player that ultimately receives the most votes in the final round will be selected to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, an event featuring some of the best college dunkers and 3-point shooters in the country. The 2025 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will air live on ESPN during national championship weekend in San Antonio at 7 p.m. on April 3.
The following are the 16 Dark Horse Dunkers competing in the contest for their chance to showcase their talents in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships:
Nico Ashley, Less-McRae
Christian Caldwell, Southern Arkansas
Ryker Cisarik, Nova Southeastern
Chandler Collins-Johnson, Livingstone College
Peyton Gerald, Florida Southern
Jemario Hersey, Belhaven
TJ Hilliard, McMurry
Logan Jagodzinski, Rochester
Steven Lyles, Spring Hill
Lakeem McAliley, East Stroudsburg
Omar Nkonde, Queens College
Tavin Pierre Philippe, Adelphi
Straton Rogers, College of Idaho
Alex Singleton, Loras
Tristan Smith, Concordia-Nebraska
Tae Wilson, Saint Leo
Three players who won the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition have gone on to win the Slam Dunk Championship, including Marcus Lewis (Eastern Kentucky) in 2014, James Justice (Martin Methodist College) in 2012 and Jacob Tucker (Illinois College) in 2011.
For more information about the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, follow us on Twitter (
@CollegeSLAM) and Instagram (
@College_Slam). Official rules for the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition can be found
HERE.
About State Farm®
For over 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of
auto and
home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts – including auto, fire,
life,
health, commercial policies and
financial services accounts.
Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for
renters,
business owners,
boats and
motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2024 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit
http://www.statefarm.com
About Intersport
Intersport is an award-winning agency that fills the empty space between marketing campaigns and consumers—helping brands make more meaningful connections. Its industry-leading team offers expert insights in content marketing, experiential marketing, hospitality, partnership consulting and platform development. The Chicago-based agency also owns and operates events across the professional and collegiate sports landscape, including basketball, football, golf, pickleball and volleyball. Intersport has been headquartered in Chicago since its inception in 1985 and has an additional office in Detroit. Learn more at
www.intersport.global and on social media (
LinkedIn,
Instagram and
Facebook).