National Signing Day is right around the corner (February 3, for the uninitiated), and now is good of a time as any to take a look at how high schools recruits (for any sport, really) can put their best foot forward in social media in order to gain the exposure that they want.
First, let's take a look at a tweet that's getting some buzz this week on Recruiting Twitter, courtesy of Coach Demetri Wilson, Assistant Director of Recruiting at Eastern Illinois University:
Recruits I Seen this information today and I know it could benefit you or someone else! Retweet and put somebody else on‼️ pic.twitter.com/digKZLLqsX
— Coach Wilson (@___Dwil) January 4, 2021
Great information, and now let us dig in to each point to see how recruits can get the most out of their Twitter profile.
Have a Professional Twitter Handle
This should be self-evident but when you look at some recruit's Twitter page, oftentimes you see that they have a handle this is hard to read and/or have nothing to do with their real name. The harder you are to find as a recruit, the harder it is to be recruited so make sure to take the little steps to get yourself noticed.
Have a Real, Current Location
Again, this is something very simple that recruits need to be cognizant of when they're managing their Twitter profile. Having a current location is important because college coaches have recruiting areas that they are responsible for, and not having the right location on your profile can make you really hard to track down.
Add A Link To Your GMTM Profile
Game film is one thing, but seeing videos of workouts, 40-times, and individual drills can win a coach over. A lot of prospects have multiple Hudl videos (both individual games and season highlights), especially those who play multiple sports. GMTM allows you to display all of that, plus you own created content all in one place. Hudl videos from all sports. Combine submissions for various camps. And verified information about you and your journey.
Who You Follow is Important
This is a big one for coaches, because they are trying to get a snapshot of who you are as a person before they really get hands-on in the recruiting process. You have to project an image that you are taking the game seriously as a recruit, and you can do that by cutting down on the unnecessary follows and following more coaches and player development accounts.
Be Careful When You "Like" Something
This related to the last point, but the things you "like" and post about on social media is going to be read as a reflection of the kind of person you are to coaches, so you need to be mindful of the things you say and do on social media. If you want a college program to invest time and resources in you, you have to project yourself as the kind of person that they want in their program.
Minimum Bio Requirements
Again, something that should be obvious if you want to get the interest of college coaches. Certain schools can only take recruits with a certain GPA as well as high ACT/SAT scores, and including what class you are and what high school you go to is a big deal, too.
Other things can help you get evaluated on the spot such as what all positions you play (including positions for multi-sport athletes), any club teams you might play on, your height and weight, and your recruit ranking if you have one. All this information helps coaches make a decision on you as a recruit, so the more information you have available, the easier it is for you to be recruited.
Use Your Real Name
I hope this isn't earth-shattering news to recruits, but it apparently needs to be said: college coaches can't recruit you based off your Twitter profile if you don't use your real name. College coaches and scouting services have been catfished by fake recruits in the past, so you need to make sure that you carry yourself like a professional so that you can be recruited.
Use a Headshot as a Profile Photo
I've seen a lot of Twitter profiles of recruits, and most of them have their profile photos as in-game action shots. That's not the worst thing in the world, but if you want to get the most out of your Twitter for recruiting, including a headshot so coaches know who you are is a huge plus.
Be Able to Receive Direct Messages
This is one of the most important things to consider for your Twitter profile as a recruit. DMs on Twitter is one of the most common ways for college coaches to reach out to recruits, so you want to make sure that line of communication is open so coaches can contact you easily.
Jordan Rinard is a contributing writer for GMTM and a Recruiting Editor for Hustle Belt. He will always hold onto the belief that Jim Brown is the one true GOAT.
