Winthrop just awarded two cornhole scholarships to top athletes. Yes, cornhole

College cornhole games used to mean fall Saturday afternoon tailgates or Greek mixers. Now the game has pro leagues and national television broadcasts on ESPN, so why not add recruiting and scholarships?

Winthrop University has its first two cornhole commitments in the bag. Denver, Colorado-area high school players Gavin Hamann and Jaxson Remmick are foundational pieces for the startup program, and to the growth of the sport at the Rock Hill university.

“This is history being made,” said Winthrop cornhole coach and former pro player Dusty Thompson. “I’ve only pursued these people. These are the best of the best.”

He isn’t aware of another Division 1 athletics program that’s signed recruits for cornhole, or of another school with a former pro player as its coach. Scholarships are only partial for now, but that could change as the sport grows, Thompson said.

Scholarship amounts can vary as more athletes sign. The coach didn’t give the amount or what expenses they cover.

Hamann and Remmick are two-time American Cornhole League high school national champions. The new Winthrop coach sees both as five-star recruits, using the traditional five-star system common to player rankings in other sports like basketball.

Both can play competitively, not just with the best high school players, but even among the pro ranks.

The Colorado Timber is one of 16 pro teams to compete in the American Cornhole League. Like Winthrop, the league is based in Rock Hill, just over the North Carolina-South Carolina line from Charlotte.

The Timber recently introduced Hamann and Remmick as its newest members. “There’s not many players in the country who can be as consistent as they are,” Thompson said.

Winthrop to add, grow cornhole team

Thompson started scouting and recruiting soon after he took the cornhole coach position in August. He flew out Tuesday evening to the Denver area to attend the signing day event Wednesday afternoon.

Cornhole isn’t an NCAA-sanctioned sport, so the program is modeled more after the new Esports program at Winthrop.

Esports began in 2019 and won two national championships within 18 months. It relies on business partners like Comporium and major sponsors. That team has grown to more than 90 players with almost half of them on some sort of scholarship.

In November Winthrop cut the ribbon on a new 6,500-square-foot Esports center in the Lowenstein Building, in University Center.

The expansion allows Esports to add JV and club divisions. Thompson believes cornhole could grow into something similar. He’d like to have 10 players starting in the fall, and sees cornhole as an eventual full scholarship sport. Growing a foundation and community partnerships can help add scholarship opportunities.

“We’re trying to mimic what the Esports has done,” Thompson said. “We are trying to get to that level as well.”

Rock Hill home to ACL, championship cornhole

Winthrop cornhole already has one huge advantage as it attempts to grow — it sits in the heart of cornhole country.

The Rock Hill Sports & Event Center routinely hosts regional, national or world championship events. Winthrop players can get to Rock Hill a couple of weeks before school to compete in the ACL World Championships Aug. 2-11 in what almost amounts to their home arena.

The National College Cornhole Championship follows in December, in Myrtle Beach.

Last year, singles and doubles teams hoping to qualify for the college title competed in five open events that ran October through December. The Rock Hill sports center hosted the first. Other opens spanned Iowa, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia.

Thompson believes Winthrop can compete right away for college championships.

Like more familiar college sports, though, championships largely will come down to the athletes. ”We’re going to try to build a program around these two kids,” Thompson said of his first signings. “Once kids see these guys are here, they’re going to know that this is where they want to be.”

NIL money, scholarship growth for cornhole

Winthrop tuition ran $29,636 last year for out-of-state undergrads and $15,306 for in-state ones, according to a report from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. On top of that, average room and board costs were almost $10,500 according to the school.

High school and college tournaments might earn top players or teams a few thousands dollars in scholarships.

Signing a high school player doesn’t yet mean a full ride at Winthrop. But cornhole bag sponsorships and sales incentives are included among name, image and likeness benefits in addition to scholarships. American Cornhole League membership and entry fees for select events, including the college championships, are also part of NIL.

Like other sports, some top players come out of high school now with their own social media followings or sponsorship opportunities. Thompson noticed online traffic for some regional events roughly tripled when Hamann and Remmick played, compared to a prior one when they didn’t.

Playing in Rock Hill puts Winthrop players in a great position to learn from or play against many of the country’s best players. A great shot or a close game against a top pro can post online, and quickly grow a player’s profile.

Because cornhole advocates want to grow the sport and someday get it into the Olympics, there’s constant shot-by-shot tracking of games now, Thompson said.

Those numbers show Hamann and Remmick aren’t just throwing for a hole in the board. They can score while positioning their bags to block other players, too.

”Offense sells tickets, but defense wins games,” Thompson said. “These guys play defense.”