More and more, coaches are taking to Twitter to get their football program’s message out even as at least one high-profile player is going on a social media sabbatical.
Just yesterday, there was a piece posted on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s website in which Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson (@GTPaulJohnson), not exactly a social media heavyweight, was quoted as saying that “Twitter gives you a chance to control your message a little bit” instead of allowing the media to “paint you a certain way.”
In that same vein, new Florida wide receivers coach Joker Phillips has taken a unique -- and creepily cool -- approach to getting his Twitter message out to potential recruits. In a tweet posted to his Twitter account Wednesday morning, the former Kentucky coach wrote (all-caps yelling his) “IT’S TIME TO COME PLAY WR FOR THE JOKER! #ComePlayWRForTheJoker #GatorNation #SpreadTheWord.”
To drive home his point, Phillips included a photo with the tweet:
The deceased Heath Ledger as the Joker, replete with a Gator logo photoshopped onto the breast pocket and a famous line from “The Dark Knight” enticing potential recruits to come to The Swamp? Spectacular, Coach Phillips.
I have no clue what type of impact if any this has or will have on recruits. But it’s this type of social media engagement that coaching staffs across the country need to realize is on some level an important part of an ever-evolving recruiting trail.