Andrew Mentock

Freelance Writer and Journalist

United States

I am an experienced writer, specializing in journalism, sports and popular culture, but my research skills and objectivity allow me to write for almost any genre. I have written features and articles for a number of magazines, newspapers and blogs, including the Chicago Sun-Times, AP, Bleacher Report Mag and SB Nation.

Previously, I spent a year as a staff reporter and feature writer for Leader Publications, a newspaper publisher in southwest Michigan.

I graduated cum laude from DePaul University in 2012 with degrees in journalism and psychology.

Other interests of mine include coaching basketball and baseball, watching the NBA, college football, reading novels, eating sushi and drinking an Old Fashioned. Follow me on Twitter: @AndrewMentock

I welcome inquiries and writing requests. Contact me at drewment2[at]gmail.com

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Portfolio

Selected Clips

Chicago Sun-Times
08/27/2022
Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner is true to his roots

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - On Oct. 20, 2007, Tyler Buchner first entered Notre Dame Stadium. He sat with his father near the end zone that afternoon and watched USC drub the Irish 38-0. They left at the end of the third quarter, disappointed and wearied by the Trojan Marching Band's repeated playing of"Fight On!"

Bleacher Report
11/05/2020
Athlete or Actor? Top DB Faces Big Choices

One week in March brought together everything that's made life such a whirlwind for top football prospect Ceyair Wright, who also happens to have a major role in next summer's Space Jam: A New Legacy. He arrived at a Rivals Camp Series event at East Los Angeles College on the morning of Sunday, March 1.

Chicago Sun-Times
11/05/2022
ND's Rylie Mills: This kid can play

Hercules. Big Hefty. Freak. Those are a few nicknames Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills earned from teammates and media in the offseason because of his gargantuan size, strength and agility. At 6-5 and 292 pounds, the Lake Bluff native benches 420 pounds and moves at a top speed of 19 mph, on par with many college defensive backs and wide receivers.

SBNation.com
04/29/2020
How one of Team USA's potential Olympic stars is handling the wait

Luscious green trees surround the outdoor skatepark and grandstands at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu, China. Freestyle BMX star Hannah Roberts - atop her pink bike, rocking a black full-face helmet - drops in and pedals hard toward a spine ramp. As she launches off the ramp, Roberts begins a 360-degree spin.

Chicago Sun-Times
09/03/2022
Safety Brandon Joseph has something to prove with Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph rode the hip of Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson as they faded toward the corner of the end zone. Then Joseph saw the ball and leaped into the air with just his right arm extended, picking off quarterback Justin Fields.

Indianapolis Monthly
08/27/2021
Ball State Is Out To Prove 2020 Was No Fluke

FOR MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Media Day, Ball State head football coach Mike Neu wore a suit and sat at a plastic folding table inside the concourse of Detroit's Ford Field. It was mid-July, he was fresh off a contract extension , and he served as the media-day darling.

AP NEWS
09/12/2022
Notre Dame QB Buchner expected to miss season with injury

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with an injury to his nonthrowing shoulder that will require surgery. Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Monday that Buchner has a severe AC joint sprain in his left shoulder.

Indianapolis Monthly
11/11/2020
What Are Indiana Sportsbooks Doing To Protect Gamblers From Addiction? - Indianapolis Monthly

In June, the former Colts punter-turned-button-pushing-broadcaster Pat McAfee signed a multi-year sponsorship with the sports wagering and fantasy sports giant FanDuel. The specific terms remain undisclosed, but judging from how McAfee went about announcing the deal, it must have been lucrative-FanDuel tweeted a video showcasing him gleefully handing out tens of thousands of dollars from the deal to "the boys" on his production crew.

Blue and Gold Illustrated
06/29/2020
Braden Lenzy: Taking A Stand

Wearing an orange forward-facing ball cap and turquoise tie-dye T-shirt, Braden Lenzy introduced himself in a video on the Notre Dame Football Twitter account on June 4. Despite his casual dress, his tone was somber and assertive, while still inviting. As he spoke, a framed photo of the Notre Dame logo was positioned on the wall behind his left shoulder, perhaps an unintended ode to the football program encouraging him to amplify his voice. The purpose of the 23-second clip was to highlight a...

Civilized
05/02/2020
How the Vocal Anti-Marijuana Minority is Sabotaging Legal Cannabis

On the eve of November 7, while the majority of Michigan voters celebrated the passage of Proposal 1 - the initiative to legalize adult-use marijuana - a dejected Scott Greenlee, the president of anti-cannabis organization Healthy and Productive Michigan, stood behind a podium and told his supporters via Facebook Live that their campaign against cannabis had failed.

Rivals
01/09/2021
BlueAndGold - Becoming America's Top Linebacker: Owusu-Koramoah's Rise At Notre Dame

Brian Kelly stood behind a podium as he addressed an auditorium full of beat reporters and members of the local media on Feb. 1, 2017. The Notre Dame head coach wore a gray suit jacket, purple tie and bright pink dress shirt, perhaps an attempt to use his chic attire to distract the room from the 4-8 campaign the Fighting Irish endured the previous fall.

Indianapolis Monthly
03/11/2021
Mark Titus Is Coming Home For March Madness - Indianapolis Monthly

Born and raised in central Indiana, Mark Titus has been a hoops fanatic all his life. Two years ago he moved from the Midwest for almost 365 days of sun in Southern California, but no amount of Vitamin D can cure his love for the game.

Leader Publications
03/29/2018
Edwardsburg filmmaker to premiere new 'Jurassic Park' spoof - Leader Publications

In a pivotal scene in the 1993 edition of "Jurassic Park," Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, is hanging out the back of a jeep as he narrowly escapes the sharp teeth of a pursuing Tyrannosaurus rex. During the chase, the carnivorous dinosaur breaks through large tree limbs as it stomps its way down the muddy road.

South Bend Life
11/07/2018
A Holiday Sensation

On a shivering November morning in northern Indiana, WNDU's Joshua Short, a reporter at the time, stood outside of University Park Mall at 5:13 a.m. Even in 2017, he still expected crowded lines of people bundled up as they anxiously anticipated the opening of the fall at 6 a.m. for Black Friday...