Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma Football: How Oklahoma became a dominant recruiting force

By Christopher Dukes

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: The Oklahoma Sooners pose for a team photo after winning the Big 12 Championship against the TCU Horned Frogs 41-17 at AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: The Oklahoma Sooners pose for a team photo after winning the Big 12 Championship against the TCU Horned Frogs 41-17 at AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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NORMAN, OK – NOVEMBER 11: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated TCU 38-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
NORMAN, OK – NOVEMBER 11: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated TCU 38-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

Social media

When Barry Switzer would hit the road to recruit it would often be the first time he had interacted with a player. Coaches would get one or two chances to close the deal and sell their program along with a handful of phone calls.

With the advent of social media, there are all sorts of new and inventive ways for a coach to get his message to a recruit. While the NCAA is attempting to crack down and govern direct contact through the medium, there are plenty of ways to make sure a potential player is seeing what a coach wants him to see.

Lincoln Riley has become a master at using Twitter for recruiting. His likes and retweets always seem calculated and will often predict what is coming next in the process. His patented eyeball emoji tweet proceeds a commitment is like kicking an anthill, riling up fans and getting them excited for a player’s announcement.

Oklahoma executive director of recruiting Annie Hanson (who honestly probably deserves her own category in this article) has done a magnificent job branding Oklahoma on social media. Last year’s signing day videos will were the talk of the internet and will probably be copied by most major universities this coming year. It was an example of Oklahoma setting the trend instead of reacting to one.

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