Under a new rule NCAA that took effect last week, the Arizona Football Coaches are now able to retweet or show their approval of social media posts made by their recruits
The new policy that took effect couple weeks ago which was coined “Click, Don’t Type” results in coaches still unable to comment on perspective recruits social media posts. That said, they were already allowed to direct message them, but now they can retweet and like social media posts made by recruits.
NCAA Proposal 2015-48 took effect on Aug. 1:
"An athletics department staff member may take actions (e.g., “like,” “favorite,” republish, “tag,” etc.) on social media platforms that indicate approval of content on social media platforms that was generated by users of the platforms other than institutional staff members or representatives of an institution’s athletics interests."
The reason for the new rule according to the College Football AP is as follows:
“NCAA spokeswoman Emily James said the Mid-American Conference proposed the rule change. Kristin Williams, the MAC’s associate commissioner for institutional services, said the original idea from the league’s coaches was a complete deregulation of social media usage. Williams said the plan was modified to the proposal that eventually passed because of administrative concerns that the initial recommendation ‘would turn into an absolute free-for-all.'”
Arizona Wildcats
Better news for coaches because they do more on social media, the bad news is they still cannot explain praise and state appreciation to a particular player in public; intent from a like or retweet will have to be assumed by the recruit.
It may even catch recruits off guard at times, especially when coaches from a program they did not commit too retweets their posts. It will be interesting to see how many coaches retweet a well-sought after five-star recruit. It will also be intriguing to see which recruits will test the waters or decide to publish a particular tweet for the sole purpose to get coaches reactions.
Also, something to watch: if a coach retweets or doesn’t, will that have effect the recruits ultimate decision?
Who wouldn’t enjoy receiving praise from NCAA head coaches? Coaches may have to use surrogates just to keep up. Some coaches have interns or employees doing all their Tweeting and social media posts, and recruits would never know if it is the coach or not. If the policy included comments, it would possibly be easier to figure it out.
Not every coach had the same reaction to this new NCAA rule change. Rich Rod mentioned at the Pac-12 Media Days in Hollywood that he thought this was all silliness. He wants just to be able to DM, like, retweet, reply and quote tweets. He feels it’s too hard to figure out when a coach is crossing the line, so the powers that be should just take off the cuffs. “For guys that do it I guess, the assistant coaches, it’s good. As my daughter says, I have no twitter game — I don’t think any kid is going to come to your school because of tweeting
“For guys that do it I guess, the assistant coaches that are into Twitter, it’s good,” said Rodriguez after practice on Thursday, “As my daughter says, I have no twitter game — I don’t think any kid is going to come to your school because you’ve retweeted something that they did, but far as communication and assistance, building a relationship, it may help.”
Other coaches want nothing to do with Tweeting, “I think that’s a poor reason to choose a school because a coach retweeted something,” Mississippi’s head coach Huge Freeze said. “I’m not going to partake in that. Some of my coaches may, and I haven’t instructed them one way or another on it. I could end up doing it, but I’m indifferent today.”
This rule could affect a prospective athlete. The perception of how they are viewed on social media, both positively or negatively, could be stressful. If coaches aren’t retweeting, or a given recruit does not receive the same amount of followers or reactions, it could bum them out. Or, if a recruit is inundated by responses and cannot keep track, it may make the decision tough.
I believe that this rule change will most likely affect recruits who go to smaller high schools and do not get that much media exposure. A retweet from a coach may make a huge difference to them.
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Yes, coaches want to be closer to their athletes/perspective athletes through many communication channels, but I think they should opt for going more with an old-school strategy. A phone call would suffice, after all, it’s more personal and not as easy as clicking a little heart. A phone call is something that an uncommitted or even a committed athlete would remember in the long run.