Cornhole has grown to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world, gaining tons of interest from major corporate sponsors, primetime television deals, dedicated fans, and the top players from every backyard in the country.
Adrian Johnson, one of the top cornhole players in the nation, is an American Cornhole League professional athlete that is putting Clifton Forge on the map through his dedication, and passion for a game that he has only known and played for a few short years.
Johnson has 160,000 followers, 4.3 million likes, and 100 million views on his @acl_pro_adrianjohnson TikTok account. Johnson, who uses his social media presence to promote his dominant skills, difficult trick shots, and his AJMotivation Monday content, has one of, if not the largest social media followings in the area.
With that much reach, Johnson has become a national and local sponsorship target of his own, having sponsors that include Gladiator Cornhole, one of the leading providers of professional cornhole equipment, and local family owned, Michael’s New York Style Pizza.
Johnson, has also built himself a massive national fan base that includes a 10-12 year old boy from Portland, Oregon, whose parents messaged Johnson, to tell him that he is his favorite player, and wants to grow up and be as good as him. The young kid even went as far as making a TikTok to mimic Johnson’s exceptional play, and Johnson often reaches out giving the young and up and coming cornhole player tips to improve his game.
Johnson, now averages about 20 million views per post, but his very first viral video was shot at Booker T Washington Park, in Clifton Forge, where you can still find Johnson practicing daily.
“My first viral post was about 1.5 million views. I noticed people liked my content so I just continued to post it more consistently. Now I have a large following, and with that many followers, views, and likes, it’s opened up many opportunities. I know I’m blessed to have a platform and I want to use it to inspire others ”, says Johnson.
One of those opportunities was as recently as two weeks ago in Las Vegas, at the ACL Kickoff Battle at Mandalay Bay, and broadcasted on ESPN. The event was the first official national tournament of the 2022 ACL season, where Johnson and his pro doubles partner, Leston Allen, competed together and are now ranked #37 in the world.
The official ACP Pro tournaments are broken down into three categories; ACL Pro Johnsonville Cornhole Championship, which is the latest event at the Mandalay Bay, and all broadcasted on ESPN, the ACL Pro Shootout Series (CBS), and the Bacardi Spiced ACL Open Series, broadcasted on ACLDN, the ACL’s very own Digital Network.
A few of the next event locations are the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, Dickes Arena, in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, NC.
Johnson, was introduced to the game at Booker T Washington Park in Clifton Forge, Virginia by local player Richard “Third” Heighter, who at the time was a part of a small group of players called the “Booker T Baggers”.
Heighter, who played an integral part in building up the thriving local cornhole community has been around from the start.
“I love seeing what Adrian is doing now. I remember when he started coming to the park to play. His competitive nature took over, and it’s great to see him growing the game”, said Heighter on how far Johnson has taken his game.
Heighter told me an interesting story on how the local game has grown to the heights it is today, starting with a fundraiser in West Virginia, run by a group called the Outlaws. At the fundraiser, Heighter took notice of the professional two sided bags, the official boards, and the official team jerseys, and knew exactly what he wanted to bring to the area.
With this new excitement, Heighter eventually teamed up with Chad Chestnut, another local player integral in the development of the local game, and changes their name to the “Mountain Baggers”, to be inclusive of anyone from the area that has a shared passion for the game.
“I started practicing just to beat Third because I’m a competitor and I couldn’t beat him. So I got my own boards and started practicing for hours a day just to beat him. When I finally beat him, I realized my love for the game. I started traveling and playing against some of the best players in the world”, said Johnson of his recent success.
In the future, Johnson says he would love to start a summer camp for the youth to give kids an opportunity to learn the game, and have a safe place to go.
Johnson, is invested in growing the local game and encourages everyone to give the game a try.
To stay up to date on Johnson’s progress throughout the year, don’t hesitate to follow him on any of his social media accounts. Search “ACL Pro Adrian Johnson” and you can’t miss him.
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