#Graham360
ASU head football coach Todd Graham has added a new hash tag to his social media repertoire.
Adding to his #AnyChallenge and #SpeakingVictory hash tags on Twitter, Graham now has another one: #Graham360.
The new hash tag incorporates the idea of “the full development of the student athlete,” according to Assistant Athletics Director of Recruiting Sherman Morris.
“Coach Graham has a unique approach when it comes to developing student athletes,” Morris said. “He believes that in order to develop a student athlete you gotta be able to touch him in every aspect of his life.”
“We want to make sure we’re developing him as a student, we’re touching him from a social standpoint, we’re challenging him in every area in order to make him a productive citizen beyond the game.”
The development of the student beyond the field is something that Graham has been trying to promote and is a message that Morris wants to continue to deliver.
“For us, it’s important that everyone understand exactly what coach Graham is all about: His goals, his vision for this program and the direction that this program is moving in,” Morris said.
“It’s important that we communicate that because, in absence of that, other individuals will communicate that for us and they won’t be able to tell the full story of what coach Graham is really all about.”
When selling a product, say a football program, it’s important to be where the consumer is. Namely, that means social media sites.
“If you think about social media, that’s where the prospects (are) and that’s where the younger generation is basically communicating,” Morris said. “In order for us to effectively recruit a student athlete it is important for us to make sure that we are in those environments as well.”
Recently, college football programs have become rather clever in their social media campaigns. Florida hosts a prime example.
So does Morris plan to emulate the Gators? In his own words, “Absolutely not.”
“We’re not really looking to follow anyone else’s lead. Coach Graham wants to be a leader in this area and that’s the direction we need to go in,” Morris said.
In 2012 ASU had the 38th-ranked recruiting class according to Rivals.com and that ranking increased to No. 34 in 2013. There is little doubt that this coaching staff has put a bigger emphasis and year-round focus on recruiting than we have seen for years. It’s a 24/7/365 operation. Strike that- it’s a 24/7/#360 operation. Gotta break for a couple holidays.
#Graham360. Use it when you Speak Victory on Twitter (and Instagram) to remind top football prospects of what Todd Graham and his staff stand for.
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