Did Football Coach Change modify digital strategy for Bearcat Football?
Clemson's digital team received rave reviews during the College Football Playoff. While they do great work, there are many other programs who have impressed me with their digital design and strategy. The Cincinnati Bearcat Football Team is one of those programs.
I met Carl Schmid through the #YPSportsChat in November of 2016. Carl is the Assistant Director of Football Video for UC. The last several months I have followed the work he has done for the UC Football program. Coach Fickell was brought on board, so there has been transition since the end of the season.
Was there a change in philosophy with Coach Fickell? Coach Tuberville always seemed old school. He has been around college football for many years. I have noticed a more aggressive and "up close" approach from the Bearcats since their new hire.
Let's dive in and learn more about the change in philosophy. . .
N.C.: Iv seen you get recognized from the new Football Staff. What difference in support has there been with Coach Fickell? I'm what ways this helped your Digital initiative in football?
C.S: When Coach Fickell was hired we had the chance to not necessarily recreate what we were doing, but rather rebrand. He has been extremely supportive of what we do & constantly pushes us to improve. It has been amazing to see the response we’ve gotten to the new type of content we’ve been creating, specifically our “Attention Training (see below)” & "Winter workout Series (see below)". We’d never done any behind the scenes workout type videos before, but we’ve been given the chance to really open up and just be creative. Our new Director of Football Sports Performance, Brady Collins, has been integral in the creation process. He’ll give me tips on what to focus on, point things out, and even had the idea for how to make the bench press look realistic in our fax machine training video for Signing Day. As we continue to improve & create new content our focus will always be on consistency & finding a way to stand out from the noise. We want people to be able to quickly recognize our content as they scroll their timelines.
Attention Training Playlist on YouTube
Winter Workout Series Playlist on YouTube:
Transition is never easy. Each person (head coach in this situation) leading an organization or program has different philosophies and beliefs. I have noticed a HUGE difference in Carl's content since Coach Fickell became the Head Coach for the Bearcats. Change can be unsettling.
N.C.: What are two podcasts, books and/or webinars you recommend for those working in the digital space for college athletics? Why?
C.S. I’m not big on podcasts & wish I had more time for books, but I would highly recommend the #YPSportsChat & #SMSportsChat Twitter chats. These two chats have really helped in my development & allowed me to network with those in the collegiate space, as well as others who are highly knowledgeable about social media & digital trends. The chats are a great place to learn new tactics, ideas, trends and new skills. The connections I’ve made within those communities are invaluable. They are truly engaging and welcoming communities filled with some very talented people that are willing to share their knowledge and tips with others. I think that as we help each other grow and improve it creates better content which in turn forces all of us to constantly improve upon what we are doing.
I have to agree with Carl on both of the chats listed above. I enjoy getting to communicate, network, and learn about other people in the sport industry through the various chats on Twitter. The #YPSportsChat takes place on Tuesday evenings at 9:00 p.m est. Commit an hour a week and contribute your experience to these types chats.
C.S: Graphic wise it would probably be our schedule unveil piece largely because of the consistency that we had across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, phone background, headers, etc. The has been a collaboration between myself & one of my interns. He came up with the original concept of the helmet & skyline background for Signing Day, then I made some adjustments to that, & adapted it after Signing Day for our schedule unveil.
