It’s no secret that college coaches use social media throughout the recruiting process. Social media helps highlight their school, sports programs, and the specific benefits of playing for them. Think of social media as a window – it allows you to learn a lot about a school or sports program, but it does the same thing for college coaches.
The more talent you have, the more people care about what you say and how you handle yourself. You will be criticized, judged, and could ultimately be recruited (or not) based on how you portray yourself on social media. College coaches put a lot of research in finding out your character and integrity. In fact, colleges take it so seriously that they hire people to develop new ways to monitor your accounts. Coaches recruit players who will fit with the team culture, meaning they find out what kind of player you are on and off the field BEFORE they recruit you. Below are some ways to use social media to positively market yourself to college coaches.
Encouraging Positive Posts
Posting positive articles about your team and yourself are a great way to show what you think is important. When local newspapers highlight your team, post links to those articles. Congratulate your teammates by retweeting their posts about accepting offers and getting recruited. This is the type of optimistic content college coaches want to see on your social media. College coaches look for humble leaders who encourage and acknowledge those around them.
Attitude is Gratitude
The way you treat the people around you directly reflects your attitude. Do you say “please” and “thank you” to your coaching staff, athletic trainers, team managers, and officials? College coaches look at these types of intangibles to provide insight to your character. Be a positive influence on those around you, especially through your social media. Do not post negatively about a coach or referee, even if they made a bad call. Be grateful for the opportunities you have every day to play.
Highlight your Academic Successes
College coaches recruit student-athletes. If you don’t already, start highlighting your academic successes. Post about making honor roll, getting good grades on exams, etc. Good grades can increase the amount of scholarships you qualify for and show college coaches that you take pride in your successes in the classroom. A very small percentage of college athletes go on to play professionally. It is important to make sure you have the determination and skills to succeed after college. Highlighting your academic success could be the advantage that gets you ahead of your competition.