The Rutgers coaching staff had an impressive haul over the past ten days or so, adding six verbal commitments since the 25th of June. These ranged from high profile targets such as four star linebacker Tyshon Fogg to the relative unknown but physically impressive wide receiver Tyler Hayek. With the 17th ranked class in the country that features 19 verbal commitments it’s obvious that the staff is on a roll on the recruiting trail. With where the reputation of Rutgers was heading into the recruiting season, how could a new and untested staff secure the word of 19 high school players? The answers are numerous, but one thing that has stood out is that the staff shows something that is needed in this day and age: social media savvy and synergy.

Every time a recruit pledges his commitment to the Scarlet Knights, a flood of reaction tweets featuring usually humorous .GIFs is posted within minutes by every staff member. It’s an impressive display to see unfold on one’s Twitter timeline, especially because no coach tweets a reaction .GIF that another coach posts celebrating the same recruit. It may be easy to dismiss these tweets as something inconsequential, but the reality is that they serve two purposes that are needed in this day and age, and especially for where Rutgers is now.

We picked up a serious JET for a future aerial assault!!#WilliamsWeapons#StartTheTrad17ion pic.twitter.com/fmZdsma6ak — AJ Blazek (@CoachBlaz) June 28, 2016

The first goal that these tweet ‘bombs’ accomplish is that they litter the timelines of prospective recruits. Most recruits that the Rutgers staff is targeting already follow the coaches on the staff on Twitter, meaning that with each reaction .GIF that a coach posts they take up real estate on one of the most used phone applications for a high school recruit that Rutgers wants to secure a commitment from. It may not be something that causes a recruit to choose a school, but it does help to create a positive vibe around a program that desperately needs as many positive vibes as it can get. At the very least, it gives the Rutgers coaches one more way to remain visible with recruits. When you are recruiting from a position of relative weakness a staff has to use every single weapon in its arsenal to its fullest, no matter how inconsequential it may seem.

The second purpose that these tweet ‘bombs’ serve is that they give the Rutgers faithful something to cheer for even during the offseason. By digitally shouting from the mountain tops each time a high schooler commits to the Scarlet Knights, the coaches keep the fans informed (without saying the recruit’s name, of course) and engaged while the staff tries to establish trust with a fanbase that has been through the ringer the past year. The staff is also seemingly trying to get the fan base excited over every recruit as they show the same excitement level over unheralded recruits as they do for high level recruits like Bo Melton and Micah Clark. This helps to make it known to the fans that the staff has accepted the commitment of a recruit that they wanted, regardless of star rating. Again, it’s a small thing, but it helps to create a positive environment among the coaches, the fans, and the recruits. Everything is public relations, and this staff seemingly excels at that aspect of running program better than any staff Rutgers has had in recent memory.

This may seem like a strange topic to spend time writing on, but as anyone who has ever met a teenager can attest to, teens spend their lives on their phones. To be invisible on what recruits keep their vision on is no way to help your recruiting efforts. This isn’t something that is unique in college football, but it is something that has never been done to this level at Rutgers before. It’s no secret weapon, but smart and effective social media is just another way to help bring Rutgers football towards the level it needs to be to begin being competitive within the Big Ten conference.