May 8, 2009
College coaches are using Twitter to reach recruits
Santa Clara men's basketball coach Kerry Keating was considered one of the most tech-savvy recruiters when he was an assistant at UCLA, writes The San Francisco Chronicle.
He courted Kevin Love with text messages and landed a commitment from another top recruit via Instant Messenger.
Keating set up a Twitter account two months ago and thinks it could be a valuable recruiting tool as the NCAA continues to place restrictions on communication between coaches and prospective student-athletes. "It's another vehicle to exchange information," Keating said. "Recruiting is all about communication and it's another good communication device."
The Twitter craze certainly has galvanized the college coaching ranks. Many elite coaches are attempting to tap into a medium that is increasingly being used by young people. USC football coach Pete Carroll has more than 17,000 followers on Twitter. Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean and new Kentucky coach John Calipari are engaged in a lighthearted competition to see who can get more followers. Former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is Twittering at Tennessee.
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