The benefits and drawbacks of players’ social media accounts was a topic of note at Friday’s Bay Area football Media Day, which included representatives from Stanford, Cal and San Jose State.
Bears coach Justin Wilcox said public profiles of potential recruits can contain information that separates a player from the competition, as well as send them flying off a school’s radar.
“When it comes to recruiting, checking social media is about finding out who these guys really are,” Wilcox said. “You find out a lot about people on social media.”
Stanford coach David Shaw agreed, and stressed the importance of guiding student-athletes in using social media in a way that isn’t detrimental to their career or a program’s reputation.
“It’s about continual education,” said Shaw. “They don’t understand how powerful it is — both in positive and negative ways.”
Heading Down Under: Stanford will open its season in the College Football Sydney Cup in Australia on Aug. 26 against Rice. It’s the second time playing outside of the country in school history and comes a year after Cal opened its season in the same Sydney showcase.
Shaw said he is planning to treat the opener like a bowl game. He wants to give players a chance to explore the area, but recognizes the logistical challenges both on and off the field.
“When we buckle down and get ready to play a football game, a lot of those questions need to be answered,” Shaw said.
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