Becoming an insider in the world of sports isn’t just a badge of honor, it’s a privilege. Building the trust of players, coaches, and agents is not easy, and even fewer manage to keep it. In an industry where people are quick to leak information for attention, one name has always stood out: Trilly Donovan. Known by this alias, Trilly has built a reputation as one of college basketball’s most trusted insiders. However, until today, Friday, October 18th, 2024 the character behind the burner account was a mystery.
“It reminds me of when there was a wrestler back in the day who wore a mask, it’s like who’s underneath the mask,” college basketball insider Jon Rothsetin said. “I’m surprised that someone with that kind of info wouldn’t want to identify themselves.”
Not only has Trilly Donovan caught the attention of multiple college basketball insiders, coaches are also left wondering who runs the mysterious account.
“There is a character on social media covering the sport,” Xavier Head coach Sean Miller stated. “He’s someone who’s passionate, knowledgeable, connected, over the top, crazy work ethic… makes our game better… the problem is this character, we don’t know who it is… it’s fascinating that nobody knows who this is.”
“He’s pretty accurate,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “It’s like he’s sitting in people’s staff meetings.”
In today’s era, staying anonymous is rare, and Trilly has done a great job of that—until now. So, this leaves us with the question: who is Trilly Donovan?
Who is Trilly Donovan
On January 5, at 4:13 ET, an obscure Twitter account named Trilly Donovan dropped a bombshell: then-Texas head basketball coach Chris Beard was set to be fired later that day. Approximately 10 hours later, major national reporters began confirming the news of Beard’s dismissal.
This wasn’t the first time Trilly Donovan made headlines. In March of 2020, while still flying under the radar, he revealed Tulsa’s interest in Eric Konkol. He also reported that the ACC/Big Ten Challenge was coming to an end. However, by the time the transfer portal became active in April of 2022, Trilly Donovan had established himself as one of college basketball’s most reliable sources. One of the most highly anticipated college decisions in the last decade, Bronny James commiting to USC, was also news Trilly predicted. In April of 2024, the number one player in the transfer portal, Johnell Davis, committed to Arkansas. Guess who predicted that? Yep, Trilly Donovan. Today, he boasts over 84,000 followers on the platform now known as X, and fans eagerly await his updates on coaching changes and recruiting predictions.
So, who is Trilly Donovan? When you hear the name, it’s natural to think of Billy Donovan. However, that connection is quickly dismissed. “I’m not Billy Donovan,” he chuckled in an interview with CJ Moore of The Athletic, admitting that he grew up a fan of Donovan’s legendary Florida teams. But the speculation doesn’t stop there. It’s not Jon Rothstein, as Rothstein himself has clarified, and it’s not Jeff Goodman, according to Moore.
Well, I’ve cracked the code. It’s Jesse Bopp, an assistant coach (associate head coach) at FIU. Here’s a snapshot of his background:
Bopp has an experienced coaching background, including a stint as head coach at IMG Academy and positions at New Mexico State and Chattanooga, where he set school records for wins. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Billy Donovan at the University of Florida during the 2008-09 season, contributing to a team that reached the NIT Quarterfinals.
Bopp has connections to both Billy Donovan and the world of college basketball, which adds up to the handle of Trilly Donovan’s X account.
How do we know Jesse Bopp is the man behind the account
Trilly Donovan has always hinted that he works in college basketball, which aligns perfectly with Jesse Bopp’s role as an assistant coach. He even told told CJ Moore that he works in college basketball. The name “Trilly Donovan” also subtly nods to his connection with Billy Donovan, under whom Bopp got his start.
To confirm this theory, I dug deeper. I scrolled through all of Trilly’s tweets, searching for any mention of FIU, and sure enough, there was plenty.
For example, on January 19, 2023, at 11:48 PM, Trilly replied to a tweet by Rocco Miller, saying, “Surprised you didn’t go down to FIU. Can’t tell you how many kids I’ve seen step out of bounds in the ocean.” Here, Trilly was referring to FIU’s basketball court, where the out-of-bounds area is designed to look like an ocean. Unless you’re closely connected to the program, you’re not going to see so many kids step out of bounds at FIU.
But to truly put this theory to the test, I decided to reach out to Trilly directly. Since he follows me on X, I sent him a DM asking if he was Bopp. His response: “Never heard that one before, great guess.” Then he followed up with, “Any other guesses?”
While Trilly didn’t outright confirm he was Bopp, he also didn’t deny it. Instead, he quickly tried to change the topic, which seemed suspicious. If he wasn’t Bopp, he would’ve just said no—as he’s done with other writers and even myself in the past. But this time, he dodged the question.
Accuracy is everything when breaking a story, so I went even further. I checked the dates and times of FIU basketball games over the past two years and cross-referenced them with Trilly’s tweets. Every time FIU had a game, Trilly didn’t tweet during the game, but only before or after.
For years, Trilly Donovan played the role of the elusive insider to perfection, but now, the game is up—you’ve been caught. From dropping inside scoops about FIU to dodging the big question when pressed, all the clues lead straight to Jesse Bopp. Trilly may have run a great offense, keeping his identity hidden from the college basketball world, but it’s clear now that FIU’s assistant coach is the man behind the curtain. The mystery is over, and the burner account has finally been unmasked.
