Social media certainly has cemented its place in college athletics.

That much is for sure

Whether it’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok or whatever else is the next platform coming down the pike, the applications are at the center of college football.

Whether it’s for branding purposes or to reach prospects themselves, it provides a window in order to attract the attention of potential recruits and the fan-base alike.

West Virginia heads coach Neal Brown certainly understands this and doesn’t shy away from it, in fact he embraces the opportunity.

Brown has a video department geared toward capturing the day-to-day in the program with much of that turned around into packages for the fan-base or recruits to get a peek behind the curtain. The goal is for those parties to take ownership of the football program and actively engage them.

It raises the excitement level for those supporting the program and grabs the attention of potential prospects which is only a plus when it comes to building over the long haul.

The exposure is invaluable, especially when the fan-base is involved. Never has that been more apparent than as of late with sports at a standstill due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Early on I took it to our creative department and sports information and said hey we've got to fill some content," head coach Neal Brown told WVSports.com. "I'm a big idea guy, I'm not an implementer in that area. So they brainstormed and came up with some stuff that you've seen."

The reach has stretched beyond that as well as the players and coaches have tried to bring what they are doing to the fan base through those platforms. The accountability teams, which split players up in groups in January and they compete against each other until the start of fall camp, have been on display.

Typically those competitions are featured in-house, but this platform has allowed for the players to show the case base how they operate and earn points for it.

"I think they're providing some good information, some good content and some good laughter for our fan base," Brown said.

Brown himself has been active on his own Instagram account after being challenged by one of his players that he wasn't showing his routine.

Coaches have utilized the platform to not only connect recruits to the program but the fan base to it as well. The same can be said for the players. For instance, the annul Gold-Blue game was canceled due to the virus but the Mountaineers provided some virtual football instead by staging a game featuring old highlights from former greats.

It also included pre-game routines and a speech by Brown himself to fire fans up for the return of football whenever it does return.

"They did a phenomenal job," Brown said noting that West Virginia was second in social interactions for college programs that day.

The usage of social media is something that has been apparent in general recruiting practices as well to generate that same level of excitement as the coaches are active tweeting the now familiar “Let’s Go!” when the program lands a commitment.

Another perhaps unintended consequence of a social media driven world is the access that it provides college coaches when it comes to film. In the past, coaches would have to visit schools individually and discuss potential underclassmen with individual high school coaches and get film from there.

Now, prospects are so visible on social media that coaches are a click away from being able to watch tape on underclassmen which leads to scholarship offers.

“We have more information on the student athletes because of it the video access has changed dramatically,” Brown said.

It also gives college coaches a look behind the curtain on the type of person that each player is on how they conduct themselves on various platforms. That used to be something that could be difficult to ascertain at times and often took talking to those close to the prospect to get an idea.

Now, social media typically lays it all out there for everybody to see.

It’s a changing environment on the recruiting trail but one where coaches are left little choice but to adapt if they want to stay ahead of the curve especially with all in-person activities at a standstill. That is no different at West Virginia.

“It’s definitely changed,” Brown said.

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