Barstool Sports has officially started its foray into esports, with employees Lil Sasquatch, Connor Mook, and Jersey Jerry investing in their passion by funding a top Call of Duty Challengers team for the Black Ops 7 season.

Telluride Bush Gaming was officially announced on Thursday, October 30, comprising a roster of top talent that have all competed in the Call of Duty League and some even won championships in Thomas “TJHaly” Haly, Byron “Prolute” Vera, Kris “Spart” Cervantez” and Kenyen “Capsidal” Sutton.

In true Barstool fashion, a simple announcement graphic wouldn’t have been enough, so they brought in former NFL head coach and Super Bowl winner Jon Gruden, now a Barstool Sports personality, to make the announcement.

Breaking News from @BarstoolGruden pic.twitter.com/5qzAY9Thv8

— Telluride Bush Gaming (@tBushGaming) October 30, 2025

With the Call of Duty League 2026 season roadmap officially announced the day prior, we know that Challengers teams like Telluride will have four Elite series’ to play in and four Challengers Opens, competing on LAN against hundreds of other aspiring pro teams.

Not only that, but Major 3 in Atlanta will include a Pro-Am Classic, where the top four Challengers teams will have the chance to compete against the top players of the CDL.

Telluride’s roster is set to be one of the best teams in Challengers and will be expected to sit comfortably among the upper rungs of the second tier of CoD esports for the season.

However, as players will tell you, Challengers can be a difficult arena to really thrive in, with new players coming to prominence, rosters switching frequently, and being driven almost entirely by pure passion rather than high salaries and a glamorous lifestyle.

The Challengers season officially starts on the same weekend as the CDL itself, with the first Cup of the year taking place on December 6, 2025. The first Elite qualifiers in North America, where Telluride Bush will be competing, takes place on January 3, 2026.