South Carolina football: program using social media to build brand, culture

South Carolina football is gaining positive exposure through social media.

Shane Beamer began assembling his new coaching staff shortly after his hiring in Columbia this past winter. It’s a staff that’s got plenty of college experience, as well as ties to the NFL. Both defensive coordinator Clayton White and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield coached alongside current Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule. Offensive line coach Greg Adkins coached in Buffalo under Doug Marrone, while defensive line coach Jimmy Linsdey was previously on staff with Houston’s Lovie Smith. Mike Peterson, Montario Hardesty, and Torrian Gray each had stints as professional players, with Gray having coached the Vikings’ secondary once his playing days were through.

Over the last few months, the Gamecock media team has been taking full advantage of those connections as a way of positively promoting a new culture to both its current supporters and those that could become part of the program in the near future.

More specifically, they’ve used this as a recruiting tool, showing off the fantastic facilities on campus, giving live views of offseason practices, and interviewing an energetic staff that’s excited about turning the team around. We got a great glimpse of that this past week with the Gamecocks welcoming in a group of NFL coaches and scouts to participate in the team’s Pro Day.

Short clips like this can have an impact on prospective student athletes, as they build a bit of intrigue for those who may not be quite as familiar with the program. South Carolina lacks the history and success of more traditional blue bloods in the sport, meaning the university may not be top of mind to high school prospects, particularly those outside of the southeastern United States.

Adding onto that has been the stress of a COVID impacted recruiting season that has severely limited the number of in-person interactions and on-campus visits for both players and coaches.

That just means the athletic program has to work that much harder to get the attention of talented players, and social media has become a great source in doing so. The quality of these creative media productions is top notch, and folks are starting to take note.

In fact, a 2020 study by Athletic Director U has the Gamecocks ranked 9th in the nation in terms of social following across the four major platforms. That following is undoubtedly filled with prospects looking to find their college destinations, as well as their families.

USA Today also ranked the South Carolina social media division as one of the top 10 to follow in college sports, saying that “few schools run social media accounts that are as polished as the South Carolina Gamecocks.”

Teaming up with the social media crew, the communications team has been very successful in getting new head coach Shane Beamer in front of the national media. He’s appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show, had guest interviews with Bruce Feldman at The Athletic, and teamed up with Adam Gorney of Rivals Recruiting, all as he continues to build and sell a bright future in Columbia. He’ll actually make a second showing on the Finebaum Show tonight, right before the Lady Gamecocks take on Texas in the Elite Eight, so be sure to tune in.

Beamer is already beginning to see some of the fruits of his labor, having a trio of high school prospects recently setting official visit dates for the month of June. Landing these visits is usually a good indicator of a school being in a prospect’s final group, and the use of social media graphics like the one below are helping the Gamecocks stay in the game with some of the nation’s top talents.

Obviously, the coaches still have to close the deal in signing these prospects, but the utilization of social media is at least helping to get the staff’s foot in the door. With spring practice continuing through April, the NFL Draft around the corner, and a 2021 football season kicking off in early September, don’t expect to see things slowing down from Gamecocks social media accounts any time soon.