Starts with Campbell at ISU and talks about SMU and other schools do on social media...
http://espn.go.com/college-football...powerful-aide-dangerous-connection-recruiting
The 'social' science of recruiting
Just hours after he arrived at Iowa State, new Cyclones football coach Matt Campbell assembled his small group of coaches for a first staff meeting. They discussed hashtags and emojis.
"If you want to be a good recruiter in today's college football, you have to be on [social media]," Iowa State director of scouting John Kuceyeski said. "If you're not doing it, you're going to get beat by somebody that's doing it. You have to be out there. You have to be different. You have to be completely visible and be accessible, and the best way to do that in today's recruiting world is through social media."
In that meeting, Kuceyeski threw out #AStormIsBrewing as the hashtag the Cyclone coaches would use when posting anything on Twitter that was recruiting-related, and #SoundTheSirens would be the tag they would use when landing a commitment. ISU recruiters were also encouraged by Kuceyeski to liberally use the tornado emoji when posting.
First-year Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has generated a lot of interest in the Cyclones through social media. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Both hashtags -- and especially the twister emojis -- are hits with fans and prospects, and have helped generate the positive recruiting momentum Campbell wanted for his new program. But in the larger picture, Iowa State's hashtag and emoji success symbolizes a social media revolution that has forever changed the way football coaches recruit.
"We're using social media to rebrand Iowa State football," Campbell said. "We have to brand to recruits what's our style of play, who our coaches are, and what's the culture we're trying to put in place here. We're trying to create a culture that young people say, 'Man, I want to be a part of something like that,' or 'Hey, I'm interested in going to see what's going on,' and 'Why is that place special right now?'
"I never thought I would have a meeting to talk about hashtags and emojis, let alone have it be a focus in our first staff meeting. ... but stuff like that creates excitement around your program. We wanted to make sure we were generating some excitement that was tied with the new hire and the new coaches, and hopefully create momentum going forward on the recruiting trail."
Whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or some other app, social media has invaded every aspect of the recruiting process.
Social media also gives fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process, as prospects live-tweet, Instagram or Vine their in-home and official visits. Plus, it tears down geographical barriers, as recruits from all corners of the country have access to coaches and recruits they never had before. Social media has become a vehicle for programs to build excitement around their recruiting efforts, as fans track the movements of coaches in late January as they jet from one destination to another in search of the next blue-chipper.
"Nothing has impacted recruiting more in the last 20 years than social media," Nebraska director of player personnel Ryan Gunderson said. "It has revolutionized recruiting. Sure, cell phones have had a huge influence in the process, allowing recruiters to go mobile with their communication. But with today's technology, cell phones are merely a vehicle for social media use."
But that visibility is a two-way street, and reveals the dark side of social media.
For one reason or another, many recruits forget their friends aren't the only ones with access to their accounts. Coaches can easily see what recruits post, retweet, favorite, like and share, and in many cases they can also see what a prospect's inner circle of friends is doing.
This past September, SMU defensive coordinator Van Malone tweeted a redacted dossier on one of the Mustangs' commitments that provided an example of how deep some schools go with their social media monitoring. Many recruiters say their school doesn't go to the same extreme that SMU does, but if recruits think somebody is not watching their every move, they are greatly mistaken.
"Every single school does it," Oregon State player personnel and on-campus recruiting coordinator Darrick Yray said. "You have to, especially since you're investing almost $500,000 in a player's development over a four- or five-year period."
No matter how the monitoring takes place, it's clear somebody is watching, and the picture they see is not always pretty.
http://espn.go.com/college-football...powerful-aide-dangerous-connection-recruiting
The 'social' science of recruiting
Just hours after he arrived at Iowa State, new Cyclones football coach Matt Campbell assembled his small group of coaches for a first staff meeting. They discussed hashtags and emojis.
"If you want to be a good recruiter in today's college football, you have to be on [social media]," Iowa State director of scouting John Kuceyeski said. "If you're not doing it, you're going to get beat by somebody that's doing it. You have to be out there. You have to be different. You have to be completely visible and be accessible, and the best way to do that in today's recruiting world is through social media."
In that meeting, Kuceyeski threw out #AStormIsBrewing as the hashtag the Cyclone coaches would use when posting anything on Twitter that was recruiting-related, and #SoundTheSirens would be the tag they would use when landing a commitment. ISU recruiters were also encouraged by Kuceyeski to liberally use the tornado emoji when posting.
First-year Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has generated a lot of interest in the Cyclones through social media. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Both hashtags -- and especially the twister emojis -- are hits with fans and prospects, and have helped generate the positive recruiting momentum Campbell wanted for his new program. But in the larger picture, Iowa State's hashtag and emoji success symbolizes a social media revolution that has forever changed the way football coaches recruit.
"We're using social media to rebrand Iowa State football," Campbell said. "We have to brand to recruits what's our style of play, who our coaches are, and what's the culture we're trying to put in place here. We're trying to create a culture that young people say, 'Man, I want to be a part of something like that,' or 'Hey, I'm interested in going to see what's going on,' and 'Why is that place special right now?'
"I never thought I would have a meeting to talk about hashtags and emojis, let alone have it be a focus in our first staff meeting. ... but stuff like that creates excitement around your program. We wanted to make sure we were generating some excitement that was tied with the new hire and the new coaches, and hopefully create momentum going forward on the recruiting trail."
Whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or some other app, social media has invaded every aspect of the recruiting process.
Social media also gives fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process, as prospects live-tweet, Instagram or Vine their in-home and official visits. Plus, it tears down geographical barriers, as recruits from all corners of the country have access to coaches and recruits they never had before. Social media has become a vehicle for programs to build excitement around their recruiting efforts, as fans track the movements of coaches in late January as they jet from one destination to another in search of the next blue-chipper.
"Nothing has impacted recruiting more in the last 20 years than social media," Nebraska director of player personnel Ryan Gunderson said. "It has revolutionized recruiting. Sure, cell phones have had a huge influence in the process, allowing recruiters to go mobile with their communication. But with today's technology, cell phones are merely a vehicle for social media use."
But that visibility is a two-way street, and reveals the dark side of social media.
For one reason or another, many recruits forget their friends aren't the only ones with access to their accounts. Coaches can easily see what recruits post, retweet, favorite, like and share, and in many cases they can also see what a prospect's inner circle of friends is doing.
This past September, SMU defensive coordinator Van Malone tweeted a redacted dossier on one of the Mustangs' commitments that provided an example of how deep some schools go with their social media monitoring. Many recruiters say their school doesn't go to the same extreme that SMU does, but if recruits think somebody is not watching their every move, they are greatly mistaken.
"Every single school does it," Oregon State player personnel and on-campus recruiting coordinator Darrick Yray said. "You have to, especially since you're investing almost $500,000 in a player's development over a four- or five-year period."
No matter how the monitoring takes place, it's clear somebody is watching, and the picture they see is not always pretty.
