2023 off Season storylines

Here we are again, smack dab in the middle of the “lengthy” ACL offseason. A time where love is in the air, new partnerships are formed and players sign sponsorship contracts (or at least the top 10% or so). Every offseason we see a few “Big Names” changing partners, but if the 2023-2024 offseason tells us anything, it’s that steady partners are a thing of the past. Let’s look at some of the biggest moves to date…

Mark Richards and Tony Smith

-The 2022 and 2023 MVPs are teaming up and “team” Lucky bags is looking to make a statement. Mark Richards, coming off back-to-back seasons where he finished 1st in singles, is statistically (at least) getting a serious upgrade in the double’s partnership. No shade was intended for Phillip Lopez Jr (9.23 PPR/.23 DPR), but Tony Smith was the 2023 MVP for a reason. In doubles alone Smith averaged 9.85 PPR with a DPR of .58 and a four bagger percentage (4B%) of 40.84%. Some in the cornhole community have quietly wondered about bag selections as Smith has been regarded as one of the best “sticky” bag players in the game, but “Big Tone” opted for “slinky season” in 2023…and it seemed to payoff just fine. I have ZERO concerns about bag selection, but I am interested in chemistry. If these two gel early, everyone else might be playing for 2nd place…

Devon Harbaugh and Kyle Malone

-There has been plenty of excitement surrounding this newly formed “Ultra” team. Kyle Malone had his best finish in Singles as an ACL professional and once again proved he is more than capable of being a top doubles player in the world. Harbaugh, who finished 6th in singles, is coming off a weird doubles year. Despite a top 6 finish in 2022, Harbaugh decided to change it up after the 2023 Kick-off battle, dropping Derrick King and then playing with Nico Mireles and ultimately finishing 45th. There is no question this team is talented, but both players have a history of being erratic. Harbaugh seemingly throws a different bag every (event) season and Malone has been suspended previously for non cornhole related issues. Could this be the year both players settle down and find a steady date to the Pro Doubles dance. Time will tell.  I expect them to be a top 10 team in the end (with top 5 upside), but their floor may be lower than other teams contending for the top spots.

Jamie Graham and Frank Modlin

Jamie Graham has widely been considered one of the top players in the game for several years now. He has excelled in both singles and doubles events in the past and, at one time, the thought of someone dethroning (Matt) Guy/Graham seemed ridiculous. What changed?? Well, Guy and Graham went from being a Top 2 team in the country to 17th. Both parties decide to make a change and in comes Frank Modlin and Allcornhole. If you remember back just a few years, when Graham had started to firmly establish himself as a perennial contender, his doubles partner was none other than Mr. Modlin….and they threw Allcorhole bags. With the newest bag policy in place for the upcoming season, which allows players to choose different levels of friction among the same series for match play, it seems Frank and Allcornhole wanted to remind people that Gamechangers can in fact be winners…again. The range of outcomes for this team are broad in my opinion. Does Frank still have the game to compete consistently against the best? The last two seasons he has finished 19th (Austin Schlobolm) and 27th (Cheyenne Bubbenheim), however despite the decline in standings, he did improve his PPR from a 9.13 to  9.26. If he can be a solid “Robin” to Jamie’s “Batman”……good things are instore for this duo

Noah Wooten and Noah Almanza

You would be hard pressed to find a more polarizing player than Noah Wooten. One of the most popular players in the country, Wooten has been around the game for years and early in his career was considered one of the best players in the world. More recently however, Wooten has just been “ok”. In 2022 we saw Wooten pair up with current MVP Tony Smith and finish 9th, but last year he placed a disappointing 67th with Hunter Thorne…and the stats back it up. In 2022 Wooten was averaging a 9.12 PPR in doubles, but in 2023 his PPR plummeted to 8.38. Wooten’s new pro partner, Noah Almanza burst onto the scene in 2021, his rookie year, and looked like he was poised for a monster 2022 season. But much like Wooten, Almanza struggled last year and saw his (doubles) stats drop from 9.17 ppr to 9.12 ppr. Albeit a minimal change, but a change in the opposite direction of what you’d like to see. I think this duo’s biggest attribute will be chemistry. Wooten and Almanza are immensely talented individuals, but it is hard to predict where this team might fall. If both players rebound, they could easily find themselves in the top 15….but another year of sub-par performances and they will find themselves outside the top 50.

Jakob Gore and Hunter Thorne

What’s not to love about the potential of a team consisting of two breakout player candidates from the prior season. Jakob “Hollywood” Gore strutted his way through the ACL pro division last year finishing in 5th place and winning the Breakout Player of the Year award. Deciding to mix things up and separating from his twin brother, Jakob announced he will be playing with Hunter Thorne in 2023. Thorne has been considered a top prospect for the last several years, but it wasn’t until last season when he really shined. Hunter finished the 2022 season ranked 12th in singles, improving from 71st place in 2021. Gore and Thorne play a similar style game and throw similar bags so the stars all seem to be in line for these two young guns. They feel like a lock for a top 20 spot.

Ryan Windsor and Matthew Creekkiller

When I first learned that this team was pairing up, I thought it was an odd pairing…and I am not sure why. On paper, in terms of play style, this absolutely makes sense. Windsor has been about as steady as they come in the ACL pro world. A former number 2 player in the world, Windsor will bring a sense of stability for his new partner, Matthew Creekkiller. Creekkiller has already shown early in his career that he has the style of play that translates to winning. This will be his first pro season throwing with someone other than Jacob Foreman (who recently announced he is stepping away from the game). This duo will be throwing Killshots bags this season and it seems that Austin Reynard is going all in with these two. Hoping to capture a little “Malone/McKlem” magic, perhaps we will see Killshots back on the mainstage. Given both player’s success in the doubles format over the last two seasons, it is hard to see picture this team finishing outside the top 12.

Cheyenne Bubbenheim and Jeremy Frazier

Jeremy Frazier finds himself playing with another legend. The previous two seasons he battled with Dave Sutton (who has an excellent taste in beer) and the duo had two very solid seasons. This year he landed the best female player in the World Cheyenne Bubbenheim. While most players would consider 27th  in the world a successful doubles season, I am sure Cheyenne had loftier goals as she played last year with Frank Modlin. For whatever reason, the two just couldn’t seem to get over the hump. So now we find ourselves with yet another change. Frazier and Bubbenheim are both high PPR players and I think their games and bag selections will complement each other well. A good season and I can se them place inside the top 20…an average season could find themselves lurking around that all important 50th place.

Alex Rawls and Derek Holland

In the cornhole world, over the past two seasons, you’d be hard pressed to find a player as consistent as Alex Rawls. Coming off back to back years placing 2nd in Singles, his worst pro standing’s finish has been 8th in doubles this past season with Trey Burchfield who had shown a decline in performance this last season with a PPR drop of .64 points per round. Rawls is leaving Lucky Bags and signing with AAR where he is gaining a partner who has steadily improved over the last two season. Derek Holland is coming off an extremely successful 2023 season where he saw his stats improve across the board in both Singles and Double’s competitions. You pair the consistency of Rawls with the steadiness of Holland and it is a sure recipe for success. This team won’t get the attention it deserves going into the season….which is ok. Put a lock on Top 10 finish for this duo (and hope this ages well)….

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