The Million Club: Clemson's in an elite tier with social media branding in NIL era |
When it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, the new way of life in college athletics, it won’t take long for the “haves” to separate themselves from the “have nots.” In which world does Clemson sit? You might be surprised.
I spoke at a function in Clemson last week, and a common refrain from many of the boosters and fans that I spoke to centered on NIL and what many perceive is an inability for Clemson to keep up with schools like Ohio State and Texas A&M. Those universities have massive alumni bases that feature boosters who have everything from oil money to old money. And while Clemson doesn’t have those types of built-in advantages – I doubt a local pancake house is going to give offensive line signees $50,000 to sign – little old Clemson still has plenty of push. Football head coach Dabo Swinney mentioned an interesting nugget during an interview with Carl Reed of 247Sports last while they were discussing NIL. “There are three football teams in America that have a million Twitter followers and Clemson is one of them,” Swinney said. “When you come to Clemson, instantly you are plugged into that brand. I mean right now.” Of course, I had to go and check that out, and he’s right. There are three football Twitter accounts that boast a million followers, and it’s two you might expect and one you wouldn’t – Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson. One million Twitter followers Alabama - 1,078,521 It was just a few years ago that Clemson was barely in the top ten, but the school’s superlative social media department and a football program that has reached untold heights has fueled a surge of followers on social media. Add in Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and the football program has well over two million followers. So where do the other big-time programs stack up? Michigan is the only other program that breaks 900k, while LSU is the only program that breaks 800k. No. 5 is Oklahoma, followed by Tennessee, Notre Dame and Ohio St. All of those schools have over 500K followers on Twitter. The rest of the top-nine Michigan - 908,506 Clemson’s arch-rival – South Carolina – also has an outstanding social media team and the Gamecocks crack the top-14 with 411,686 followers. Florida State? The Seminoles have 423,062 followers. Oregon? The Ducks are down the list with just over 300k. Southern Cal? A measly 67,359 followers on Twitter. Here are some other schools, including the rest of the ACC and some other top-name programs. Other notable schools Michigan St. - 448,040 As Swinney says, when a player signs with Clemson and can align themselves with the Tigers and their huge social media following, they have an amazing reach. (It is interesting to note that Duke basketball has over two million Twitter followers, while UNC basketball has over 900K. Indiana is the only other basketball social media account I found with over a million followers). Clemson has started construction on the new CAB, another tool that should help student-athletes. “We are building a facility of its own and it will be ready September 1,” Swinney said, “We are calling it The CAB. The Clemson Athlete Branding Institute. And I call it The CAB because what does a cab do? It gives you a lift to your destination.” However, football isn’t the only sport at Clemson that can boast of a large social media following and engagement – track and field, softball, and baseball all have large followings. There is a company called SkullSparks and they partner with college athletics programs on digital brand strategy. Here are a few of their tweets that show social media engagement for Clemson sports: Top 50 NCAA track & field programs ranked by social interactions generated on official team accounts (IG+TW+FB) in 2021. https://t.co/1dztgJsXaw pic.twitter.com/DWidWOIyQg Clemson softball is making a charge in the third year of John Rittman’s program. Top 50 college softball programs generating the most interactions on official team social accounts in January 2022. https://t.co/1dztgJsXaw pic.twitter.com/mUSausDYEZ Clemson baseball also does well. Top 50 college baseball programs generating the most interactions on official team social accounts in January 2022. https://t.co/1dztgJsXaw pic.twitter.com/5VGarHR88O Clemson women’s basketball ranked 80th nationally last month in total engagement, while men’s basketball came in at 56th, just behind South Carolina and Florida Gulf Coast and ahead of Minnesota and Xavier. In the month of January the Clemson football program drove 712k engagements despite not playing a game (much of it due to coaching turnover). College football programs generating the most interactions on official team social accounts in January 2022. https://t.co/VIP8mcG37G pic.twitter.com/VFyiGPya3M Here is a look at how the ACC fared compared to other conferences: NCAA conferences sorted by interactions generated on official social accounts in 2021. https://t.co/1dztgJsXaw pic.twitter.com/lUz1RzpVAX
Georgia - 1,038,948
Clemson - 1,004,795
LSU - 878,744
Oklahoma - 669,072
Tennessee - 659,868
Notre Dame - 625,722
Ohio St. - 542,832
Penn St. - 429,716
Florida St. - 423,062
Auburn - 411,834
South Carolina - 411,686
Florida - 363,869
Arkansas - 350,913
Wisconsin - 347,122
Texas - 322,453
Oregon - 314,193
Nebraska - 284,205
Texas A&M - 276,365
Miami - 275,348
Ole Miss - 271,196
Louisville - 206,262
Virginia Tech - 197,918
UNC - 196,688
NC State - 163,452
Pitt - 112,623
Georgia Tech - 97,670
Virginia - 83,324
Southern Cal - 67,359
Wake Forest - 62,820
Duke - 62,565
Boston College - 54,111
Syracuse - 19,345
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