Recruiting since COVID hit has been a challenge for programs across the nation for nearly a year now. Coaches have been unable to hit the road and official visits haven't been able to happen for quite some time now.
In order to sign the 2021 class, coaches had to resort to virtual means more than ever, which meant everything from making their recruiting pitches via Zoom calls to accepting commitments via the newly booming social platform as well.
Matt Campbell and Iowa State just shared a video entitled THE SOUL OF A CYCLONE that perfectly captures how the recruiting pitch has changed.
In just the first two minutes of the video, Campbell is shown talking to his team before a game and dropping some great stuff about the soul of the individuals in the room, and about the soul of the program.
"Life is about the moments, and it is what you do in the moments, that when you die, that really tells your story."
"Well, you can't measure soul. But you can feel it."
"Soul is built on the people and experiences come in from the soul of somebody. We're talking about a human being. We're talking about a program. And boy, oh boy guys...the souls that have been around here. The souls that have built this program over the last five years. The experiences that we have had."
The rest of the video will have you on the edge of your seat as scenes cut between game film, workouts, and of Campbell talking about the transformation of the program over the last five seasons. Some really great sound bytes can be found throughout the clip.
To be honest, I can't think of a better virtual recruiting pitch for a program in the midst of a global pandemic.
The video ends with THE BEST IS YET TO COME, and is the perfect ending as Campbell just recently inked another contract extension that takes him through the 2028 season.
The Cyclones video department really hit a home run with this one and this will be certainly be a video fans and recruits will be talking about for a while. See for yourself.