Great pub! OKState part of the article is posted below tweet
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There is a horse stall in the west end of Boone Pickens Stadium where Oklahoma State’s mascot, Bullet IV, is kept during home football games. The Cowboys staff had that precise location in mind for its next big photo shoot.
Director of football recruiting Todd Bradford knew he couldn’t have Bullet on campus for official visitors because NCAA rules prohibit photos with cheerleaders and mascots. But he knew he could have a horse. So he and the Oklahoma State staff got another one.
This could work: The official visitors would choose their uniform combination, swap out the helmet for a cowboy hat, straddle the horse and pose for the cameras.
“Photo shoots, man, that’s the most important thing on these visits,” Bradford said. “They’re a big, big deal. We wanted to do something that doesn’t look the same as everyone else. … I’ll tell you this — the players love it.”
These photographs aren’t shot with an iPhone. This is a major production requiring high-end cameras, proper lighting and an entire creative team to edit and produce the content. The photos make a statement. In 2022, statements travel on Twitter and Instagram.
These photo shoots are the latest wave of what matters now in recruiting (aside from the still uncharted territory of name, image and likeness deals, of course). They are flashy; they help prospects grow their personal brands by accumulating likes and clout online; they legitimize a recruitment. If a recruit takes a picture in a program’s uniform, that means something. That means they’re wanted.
“It plays a really pivotal role in recruiting,” said Malik “Fig” James, who visits several college campuses every year with his seven-on-seven team, Premium. “(If) you’ve got some crappy (photos), that’s less edits, and less edits mean less posts, and less posts mean less interactions with fans.”
There are a few downsides to this trend, too: It’s expensive, it can be a time-waster if prospects are visiting programs in which they aren’t really interested in, and creative departments — which are now also permitted to create videos for prospects — are overwhelmed. The funniest part? A lot of college staffers can’t stand them.
“At the very beginning it was a task, then it became a job and now it’s a department,” a Power 5 recruiting coordinator said. “If you don’t have a department now, you’re outgunned.”
The final product from Oklahoma State’s official visit weekend in January was a hit. Look at three-star receiver Stephon Johnson Jr.’s Twitter profile. You’ll see the former Oregon commit from DeSoto (Texas) High sharing pictures of himself up in the saddle, grinning into the camera. When Johnson announces his college decision this week, maybe he ends up at Oklahoma State. If he doesn’t, he’ll likely remember his visit for the rest of his life.
“Anytime teams go above and beyond to show kids they’re wanted, that’s great,” said Johnson’s father, Stephon Sr. “We had no idea that there was going to be a horse there. … He is no country boy by no stretch of the imagination, but his swag is different, and it appeals to the type of kid he is.”
The resources being poured into these shoots aren’t unique to Oklahoma State. Look at Louisville, which orchestrated photo shoots this year with Rolls-Royces and Mercedes-Benz G-Classes on the field. The flashier, the better.
“It’s a creativity thing,” Louisville director of player personnel Eron Hodges said. “It does add a little something special that they don’t see or get on a typical basis. That’s our whole goal. Whenever we do something, no matter what school you’re at, you don’t suit up to be second.
“And the cars? That’s important because that’s what these kids aspire to have. Part of it is giving people a vision of what the future can be. It gives them something to reach for.”
A horse, a Rolls-Royce, 10 pairs of cleats? The growing importance of photo shoots in college football recruiting
Antonio Morales and Ari Wasserman 6h ago
There is a horse stall in the west end of Boone Pickens Stadium where Oklahoma State’s mascot, Bullet IV, is kept during home football games. The Cowboys staff had that precise location in mind for its next big photo shoot.
Director of football recruiting Todd Bradford knew he couldn’t have Bullet on campus for official visitors because NCAA rules prohibit photos with cheerleaders and mascots. But he knew he could have a horse. So he and the Oklahoma State staff got another one.
This could work: The official visitors would choose their uniform combination, swap out the helmet for a cowboy hat, straddle the horse and pose for the cameras.
“Photo shoots, man, that’s the most important thing on these visits,” Bradford said. “They’re a big, big deal. We wanted to do something that doesn’t look the same as everyone else. … I’ll tell you this — the players love it.”
These photographs aren’t shot with an iPhone. This is a major production requiring high-end cameras, proper lighting and an entire creative team to edit and produce the content. The photos make a statement. In 2022, statements travel on Twitter and Instagram.
These photo shoots are the latest wave of what matters now in recruiting (aside from the still uncharted territory of name, image and likeness deals, of course). They are flashy; they help prospects grow their personal brands by accumulating likes and clout online; they legitimize a recruitment. If a recruit takes a picture in a program’s uniform, that means something. That means they’re wanted.
“It plays a really pivotal role in recruiting,” said Malik “Fig” James, who visits several college campuses every year with his seven-on-seven team, Premium. “(If) you’ve got some crappy (photos), that’s less edits, and less edits mean less posts, and less posts mean less interactions with fans.”
There are a few downsides to this trend, too: It’s expensive, it can be a time-waster if prospects are visiting programs in which they aren’t really interested in, and creative departments — which are now also permitted to create videos for prospects — are overwhelmed. The funniest part? A lot of college staffers can’t stand them.
“At the very beginning it was a task, then it became a job and now it’s a department,” a Power 5 recruiting coordinator said. “If you don’t have a department now, you’re outgunned.”
The final product from Oklahoma State’s official visit weekend in January was a hit. Look at three-star receiver Stephon Johnson Jr.’s Twitter profile. You’ll see the former Oregon commit from DeSoto (Texas) High sharing pictures of himself up in the saddle, grinning into the camera. When Johnson announces his college decision this week, maybe he ends up at Oklahoma State. If he doesn’t, he’ll likely remember his visit for the rest of his life.
“Anytime teams go above and beyond to show kids they’re wanted, that’s great,” said Johnson’s father, Stephon Sr. “We had no idea that there was going to be a horse there. … He is no country boy by no stretch of the imagination, but his swag is different, and it appeals to the type of kid he is.”
The resources being poured into these shoots aren’t unique to Oklahoma State. Look at Louisville, which orchestrated photo shoots this year with Rolls-Royces and Mercedes-Benz G-Classes on the field. The flashier, the better.
“It’s a creativity thing,” Louisville director of player personnel Eron Hodges said. “It does add a little something special that they don’t see or get on a typical basis. That’s our whole goal. Whenever we do something, no matter what school you’re at, you don’t suit up to be second.
“And the cars? That’s important because that’s what these kids aspire to have. Part of it is giving people a vision of what the future can be. It gives them something to reach for.”
