Social media is a tool that student athletes can use to help reach out to college coaches easily. However, it also has the potential to be a detriment to their recruiting process.

Athletes have to keep in mind what they are posting and who is going to see it. Brigham Baker, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal, sees that social media is utilized to show athletes’ skills to many people, including high school and college coaches, as well as other student athletes.

“High social media presence actually gets out there, and I think recruiters can absolutely see that,” Baker said.

Baker believes that the pressure of performing well and making yourself look good online, will add to the stress that student athletes already carry. Wanting to perform online might make other athletes believe they need to do better.

“I think the pressure that it puts on kids to be able to do that and have everybody see that a profile or see what they’re doing [is] unhealthy if I’m being honest,” Baker said. Emily Sakys, senior, has been in the recruiting process for over three years and this past summer committed to Miami University for softball. 

“[Social media] did come with a lot of comparisons. I didn’t really ever feel pressure to post highlights, but it was more about comparing mine to someone else’s,” Sayks said. “Recruiting season already is a time where everyone is trying to one-up each other to get themselves out there and looking the best.”

Student athletes are starting to use platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, and X, according to National Collegiate Athletic Association college recruiting . 

“Social media had both a positive and negative toll on me throughout recruiting. Using [X] was a big tool for me to get my highlights and information in front of coaches. My first time communicating with my now college coach was actually on X,” Sakys said.

Colleges often look at the students’ profiles before they reach out. If they find things that don’t go along with their vision of athletes, the college won’t like them compared to another athlete whose morals align with those of the athletic department.

“I think [what] could help recruiting is if you’re trying to go to a college where they value [certain traits] in people, and the people that are going to be attracted to something like that are going to probably seek that out, opposed to what they would seek out if it was a negative, nasty, or derogatory recruiting profile,” Baker said.

A clean social media is having a profile that doesn’t have any inappropriate, derogatory jokes or statements, and negative thoughts or ideas.

“[On your profile, it should have] something that you wouldn’t mind sharing with your grandma,” Baker said.

Ways athletes want to use social media to help them are that they want to put out a brand of being a student athlete and brag about what they do on the court or field, and off. 

“It was definitely hard, but my biggest advice is to just keep your head down and in your own lane. Don’t let your emotions fluctuate too much, but stay on a steady line, and whatever is meant to happen will,” Sakys said.

Student athletes are still students who will also want to show off their academic achievements. They should also show their leadership skills and their own personality, be authentic with their posts, and the posts should reflect upon their identity.