At the core of each college football team is a staff that has to have the ability to recruit. The success of a program is directly correlated to the quality of players they are able to bring in year in and year out. Schools like Alabama, Ohio State, and Oregon are consistently in contention for the national title because of their ability to recruit high caliber players each season. Long gone are the days of conventional recruiting, where visiting the home of a player would be a formidable strategy to try and sway his mindset. In this day and age, coaches are thinking of innovative new ways to recruit players; and technology and social media are at the forefront.
James Franklin, the Head Coach at Penn State, is highly regarded as one of the best recruiters in the nation. He and his staff have used social media to get in touch with players, and utilized web cam devices to change the dynamic of the recruiting process. This strategy is proving to be effective. According to 247sports.com, Penn State ranks 14 in the nation for the 2015 recruiting team rankings.
Other schools are using web based applications, such as Photoshop, to try and create a positive image for players in an effort to get their commitment. For instance, the University of Florida has used Photoshop to edit photos of their players and coaches. The various images include a wide range of themes, such as Heisman winners, The Dark Knight, and Braveheart. This method of recruiting seems very unorthodox, but Florida ranks 21st on 247sports.com’s 2015 recruiting team rankings list.
Calling on EVERYONE to join #GatorNation We want future Gator Greats not future Gator Bait #ComePlayWRForTheJoker pic.twitter.com/WT5siaQUaz
— Joker Phillips (@jokerphillips) April 1, 2013
Some schools like to do it the old-fashioned way, and have players make their own decisions.
In other words, they host official visits, show them around campus, and, at the end of the day, they ask the recruit if they are in or out. Power house programs, such as the University of Alabama and the University of Oregon, have implemented new high tech facilities to make their campus more attractive to players.
Alabama has installed plasma screen TVs in their players’ lounge and put in a new state-of-the-art hydro therapy area, which is equipped with hot and cold tubs. Oregon upgraded their facilities a few years ago as well. They include 124 climate controlled lockers, with iPod docks, two movie theatres, and an advanced video center for editing. Any young football recruit who is looking to play at the collegiate level would find all of these amenities appealing.
The times are changing in college football.
The postseason is completely revamped, with the new playoff system and high powered offenses are a custom in every major conference. Technology is clearly shaping the way players and coaches approach the game; and it is evident that it is having an impact when it comes to recruiting. We are all creatures of habit; and in college football, programs better be willing to adapt to the rapidly changing world of recruiting before they become irrelevant.