As you are aware, the Twitter platform is very popular amongst college coaches and players alike. Almost every student-athlete (you included I bet!) has a twitter account. College coaches in the USA are fans of twitter because it allows them to easily promote their sports program and connect with fellow college coaches and players from all over the world. Let’s take a deeper look into Twitter as a recruiting tool to see if it’s effective and, something that you should continue to dedicate time to.
HOW DOES TWITTER HELP STUDENT-ATHLETES GET RECRUITED?
Twitter allows you to increase your visibility as a student-athlete. You do this by making your online presence known through posting videos, pictures, interacting with tweets and posting your own comments. Twitter makes it quick and easy to make direct connections with college coaches and other people who can help you. This has made twitter very popular in the world of collegiate sports.
CAN COLLEGE COACHES FIND ME ON TWITTER?
Yes, it is quite easy for college coaches to find you on twitter, especially if you are active and posting about yourself. This is also within their recruiting rules. College coaches are permitted to speak with you and recruit you via twitter as long as it is within their allowed contact periods on the NCAA recruitment calendar.
A college coach who is interested in you will most likely follow you back on twitter. This way they can gather more information on you and evaluate any film you put up and the nature of your character, a very important aspect to college coaches when recruiting a player. They are always assessing to see if you are a ‘right fit’.
TIP: Make sure your twitter posts are focused on getting you recruited. Think to yourself “will this post enhance my chances of getting recruited?” if yes, then post! if not, then delete.
If a college coach follows you on twitter you should follow them back, regards of the division or level. This will bring you to their attention. This is also a good sign that the coach may be interested in recruiting you. You should keep yourself open to all options and possibilities. Also, you can shoot them a message to let them know that you appreciate them following you and you are interested in opening up communication with them about their school and program.
IF A COLLEGE COACH FOLLOWS ME ON TWITTER DOES THAT MEAN I’M BEING RECRUITED?
This is one of the reasons a college basketball coach will follow you. They are not in the business of wasting their time so when a college coach decides to follow you it is typically because they have an interest in you. They will follow you so that they can keep tabs on what you are doing both in terms of your sport and your personal life. They do this to see if you are a student-athlete of high standing characteristics or will they discover some red flags.
NOTE: The timing of when a college coach follows you matters. One reason they could be following is because they are hosting a camp/clinic and want to promote this to as many new student-athletes as possible.
If a college coach who follows you on twitter sends you a direct message (DM) first, this is a very good indication that he wants to recruit you. If a college coach responds to a direct message that you sent first with some enthusiasm and detail, this is also a good sign of being recruited. Remember, college coaches can only contact you during contact periods so don’t worry if you send a message and a coach hasn’t replied, just check the recruitment calendar to see when these dates are.
TIP: Make sure your DM’s are open so coaches can contact you. You can check this in your twitter settings. Make sure your account is able to receive DM’s from people who are not following you. You will find this in the Privacy and Content section.
WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE MY TWITTER PROFILE MORE NOTICEABLE TO COLLEGE COACHES IN THE USA?
The first thing you can do is be active on twitter. By this, we mean you should be posting daily. The type of posts you should be making should be things like: your game highlights, pictures/videos of your training etc. Anything that promotes your seriousness about getting recruited to play college sport in the United States. You should view your twitter profile as your recruitment resume. ONly post things that will enhance your chances.
Here are some simple but effective tips to help give your twitter profile a boost!
- Use a real photo of you in your uniform – this shows you are a serious student-athlete
- Use your real full name (no nicknames) – you want coaches to be able to find you easily
- Your twitter handle should be easily searchable (example: @JackBiggs2024)
- In your twitter bio include: Position, height, weight, class, GPA, high school/club team
- Make sure your location is correct and coaches can see where you live
- Pin at the top of your twitter, your highlight video, bio and contact information so college coaches don’t have to scroll down your wall to find it
HOW MUCH PERSONAL INFORMATION SHOULD I PUT ON MY TWITTER PROFILE FOR COLLEGE COACHES?
You should always use you real name for your twitter profile and twitter handle. If you are trying to get recruited you need to make it very easy for college coaches to type your name in and find you. If your name is a popular name, you can add your middle name/initial (if you have one), or your jersey number, or your position to make your twitter handle stand out more. In regards to your profile picture, try and pick a picture that’s going to catch their eye. It needs to be a sharp, clear picture. If you have a bright colored jersey or something like this, it is a good idea to use that picture as it will be attention grabbing and memorable as you want to be as recognizable as possible.
NOTE: Maximum online exposure is all about setting yourself apart from the rest and making yourself easy to find. It is advisable to avoid any social-outing pictures with friends and family as this type of profile picture will just have your twitter profile get lost in the mix.
Other personal information you should have available on your twitter is your position. If you play more than one position in your sport, put your primary position first followed by the other positions. Your class year is an important piece of information that college coaches want to know too. This helps them figure out when and how they will communicate with you as a potential recruit. If you have strong GPA/test scores you should include these on your twitter profile. Additionally, if you play for a club team include the name of the team you play for. College coaches want to know this because it gives them more information about you as a player in terms of your level and abilities. Always include your height and weight and other stats that you think will make you stand out from other recruits (Examples: max reps/weight, wingspan, vertical, running times, speeds, achievements, awards etc.)
WHAT ARE GOOD POSTS TO TWEET ON TWITTER FOR COLLEGE PROSPECTS?
It is very important to be aware that college coaches will see and read all your posts! They do this to determine if you are a potential recruit or not. With this in mind you should always think about what you’re going to post or retweet before you do so.
Examples of good posts to tweet are as follows:
- Your recent basketball highlights & profile info
- Clips from games and tournaments
- Your game schedule
- Comments, quotes or pictures from tournaments
- Comments, quotes or pictures from camps/clinics
- Video or pictures of you training/practicing/skills work
- Information about any college campus visits both official and unofficial
- Your sporting accomplishments and achievements
- Any athletic or academic offers made to you by college coaches
- Support for your teammates and coaches (high school/club/academy)
- What majors you’re interested in studying
- How you want to be as a college student-athlete and your aspirations for your college career
- Motivational tweets, quotes, video or pictures
WHAT ARE BAD POSTS TO TWEET ON TWITTER FOR PROSPECTIVE COLLEGE RECRUITS?
A bad tweet would be something that could potential harm your chances of becoming a recruit. It is best to avoid posting such tweets. Your twitter profile should be a good representation of you as a player, your interests and your goals. It should be something that you would be happy for anyone to look at.
Here are some examples of the type of twitter posts potential recruits should avoid:
- Inappropriate comments
- Retweeting inappropriate videos
- Retweeting inappropriate pictures
- Retweeting inappropriate comments
- Posting too much about other things and not focusing on recruiting
WHO SHOULD COLLEGE PROSPECTS FOLLOW ON TWITTER?
You should know that college coaches will be paying attention to who you follow on twitter. Why do they do this? They do this to get an idea of what your interests are and see which other college coaches might already be following and recruiting you.
TIP: Make sure you follow twitter accounts that show your dedication to your sport, your education, your success, your team and the communities you are involved in.
People to follow on twitter should include current college coaches at schools you are interested in, retired college coaches who offer good advise on getting becoming a great student-athlete, other players, former players, teammates, anything educational or motivational and specific to your college, education and life goals.
Another way to grab a college coach’s attention is to tag them into your posts when you tweet. It is advisable to only do this a few times to see if it generates a response from the coach. Sometimes a private DM might be better! Tagging a college coach is a good idea when you come across their twitter account but it is private and you want to make contact or, if you want to congratulate them on a recent win or promotion. By doing this you will bring their attention to you.
CONCLUSION
Twitter is great for following schools you are interested in and contacting college coaches to see if their program is a program you’d be interested in playing for. Twitter can be a useful tool to get you on the radar of college coaches who are recruiting student-athletes. It provides useful information about you that coaches want to know. However, you are selling yourself short if you just rely on twitter to get yourself recruited. You still need to be more specific in your recruitment strategy. This is why working with a Recruits USA professional is beneficial for you to achieve your goal. Your twitter profile can be used as a reference point for interested college coaches but it doesn’t locate a college coach who is recruiting your position specifically. Hard work, time and effort needs to go in to produce this. If you need assitance, Recruits USA can help you through this process.