Playing football better than others is still the point, but in the age of Name, Image and Likeness, to maximize dollars over time, it’s not a bad strategy to develop your personal brand.
Be conscientious. Be original. Be yourself.
That’s the message to recruits from Voltage Management’s Zach Soskin, an expert in brand building for athletes who also used to work at adidas.
Social media will continue to play a huge role in branding athletes and the bigger the following, the more influential you can be to advertisers looking for NIL opportunities.
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RIVALS' NAME, IMAGE & LIKENESS SERIES:
MONDAY: Answers to biggest questions | NIL 101 - Who will make the money
TUESDAY: Building an athlete's brand
WEDNESDAY: What HS athletes think
THURSDAY: How colleges are handling this
FRIDAY: The most marketable college athletes
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“Kids know the red flags to avoid now, but creating some sort, without going too heavy, some sort of persona or some way to make yourself memorable is important,” Soskin said.
“The No. 1 lesson I give even pro athletes is we’re all replaceable. It doesn’t matter if you’re Tom Brady, they can just do a deal with Peyton Manning. You want to find the ways to make yourself less replaceable or more unique. You look at someone like Justin Flowe and the Babyman brand. That is huge. Just because he has this persona, it’s authentic to him, it’s a childhood nickname that plays into his play style and now there’s something for him to be known for.”
Flowe was a five-star linebacker from Upland, Calif., in the 2020 recruiting class who signed with Oregon over Clemson, USC and many others. Everyone who knew him called him Babyman, a nickname he received as a child because he was still so young but already looked – and played football – like a man.
Find your thing without being phony is the message from Soskin and others in the branding space. And it can be anything. JuJu Smith-Schuster gained popularity on social media because he was genuinely interested in gaming and he shared it with others. Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz has a following for his hunting escapades.
Football comes first, but building a genuine social media persona will be crucial to develop a stronger online presence and gain more of a following for NIL money in the future.
“Make it easy for people to find you,” Soskin said. “Your display name should be your actual name or at least contain it. If people can’t find you on social media, you’re way less valuable.
“People can only remember a personal brand or an athlete and they need to be able to describe it in one or two sentences. Pick what you want that sentence to be and then make sure you’re posting to that. If you’re into fashion, throw some stuff not playing football but in outfits you think are cool. You want to show that other side of you. ... Whatever your niche is, own it, don’t just try to be a football player. People love that more than ever.”
RANKING THE RIVALS100 ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
Twitter: 13.3k
Instagram: 46k
Total: 59,300
Recruiting: McCarthy is committed to Michigan.
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Twitter: 10.3k
Instagram: 34.7k
Total: 45,000
Recruiting: Williams is committed to Oklahoma.
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Twitter: 10.7k
Instagram: 23.2k
Total: 33,900
Recruiting: Williams is committed to Oklahoma.
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Twitter: 12.5k
Instagram: 17.1k
Total: 29,600
Recruiting: Henderson is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 7,841
Instagram: 20.5k
Total: 28,347
Recruiting: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia and LSU are among McKinstry’s favorites.
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Twitter: 10.4k
Instagram: 17.2k
Total: 27,600
Recruiting: Vandagriff is committed to Georgia.
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Twitter: 5,671
Instagram: 21.7k
Total: 27,371
Recruiting: Nussmeier is committed to LSU.
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Twitter: 6,449
Instagram: 20K
Total: 26,449
Recruiting: A former Clemson commit, the Tigers along with USC, Georgia and Oregon are frontrunners.
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Twitter: 6,280
Instagram: 16.2k
Total: 22,480
Recruiting: Georgia and Miami are Williams’ top two.
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Twitter: 7,160
Instagram: 14k
Total: 21,160
Recruiting: Shipley is committed to Clemson.
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Twitter: 7,019
Instagram: 13.7
Total: 20,719
Recruiting: Ohio State, Washington, Clemson and Oklahoma are Egbuka’s top four.
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Twitter: 5,499
Instagram: 14.7k
Total: 20,199
Recruiting: Stone is committed to SMU.
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Twitter: 7,728
Instagram: 11.9k
Total: 19,628
Recruiting: A former Alabama commit, McCutchin is high on Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide and others.
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Twitter: 13.3k
Instagram: 6,131
Total: 19,431
Recruiting: Lewis is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 8,915
Instagram: 7,936
Total: 16,851
Recruiting: Grimes is committed to North Carolina.
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Twitter: 10.3k
Instagram: 6,510
Total: 16,810
Recruiting: Adeleye is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 4,492
Instagram: 12.3k
Total: 16,792
Recruiting: Garcia is committed to USC.
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Twitter: 4,472
Instagram: 12k
Total: 16,472
Recruiting: Brooks is committed to Alabama.
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Twitter: 6,212
Instagram: 10k
Total: 16,212
Recruiting: Pryor is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 7,180
Instagram: 8,876
Total: 16,056
Recruiting: Harrison is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 3,784
Instagram: 11.8
Total: 15,584
Recruiting: Franklin is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 3,643
Instagram: 10.7
Total: 14,343
Recruiting: Buchner is committed to Notre Dame.
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Twitter: 3,834
Instagram: 10k
Total: 13,834
Recruiting: Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Miami are among the top teams.
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Twitter: 8,617
Instagram: 4,875
Total: 13,492
Recruiting: Brooks is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 4,022
Instagram: 9,371
Total: 13,393
Recruiting: Davis is committed to USC.
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Twitter: 5,573
Instagram: 7,762
Total: 13,335
Recruiting: Willis is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 6,210
Instagram: 7,021
Total: 13,231
Recruiting: Banks is committed to Texas A&M.
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Twitter: 5,552
Instagram: 7,659
Total: 13,211
Recruiting: McCord is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 1,918
Instagram: 11.1k
Total: 13,018
Recruiting: USC, Texas, Oregon, Arizona State and many others remain involved.
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Twitter: 6,176
Instagram: 6,785
Total: 12,961
Recruiting: Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, Oklahoma and others are involved.
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Twitter: 5,937
Instagram: 6,721
Total: 12,658
Recruiting: Clemson, North Carolina and Tennessee are among the favorites.
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Twitter: 5,307
Instagram: 7,089
Total: 12,396
Recruiting: Bowman is committed to Texas.
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Twitter: 4,387
Instagram: 7,775
Total: 12,162
Recruiting: Davis is committed to LSU.
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Twitter: 5,713
Instagram: 6,317
Total: 12,030
Recruiting: Milroe is committed to Texas.
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Twitter: 10.6k
Instagram: 705
Total: 11,305
Recruiting: Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and LSU are among the top schools.
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Twitter: 5,135
Instagram: 6,150
Total: 11,285
Recruiting: Carter is committed to Clemson.
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Twitter: 6,216
Instagram: 4,897
Total: 11,113
Recruiting: Brown is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 7,026
Instagram: 4,026
Total: 11,052
Recruiting: Sawyer is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 5,433
Instagram: 5,553
Total: 10,986
Recruiting: Fisher is committed to Notre Dame.
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Twitter: 4,499
Instagram: 6,477
Total: 10,976
Recruiting: Brown is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 3,084
Instagram: 7,863
Total: 10,947
Recruiting: Ohio State and Washington are among the favorites.
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Twitter: 4,449
Instagram: 6,151
Total: 10,600
Recruiting: Collins is committed to Clemson.
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Twitter: 5,134
Instagram: 4,893
Total: 10.027
Recruiting: LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M are among the top teams.
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Twitter: 5,608
Instagram: 3,991
Total: 9,599
Recruiting: Oklahoma, Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and others are still involved.
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Twitter: 3,707
Instagram: 5,786
Total: 9,493
Recruiting: Davies is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 3,189
Instagram: 6,177
Total: 9,366
Recruiting: Johnson is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 4,619
Instagram: 4,732
Total: 9,351
Recruiting: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others are involved.
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Twitter: 4,952
Instagram: 4,084
Total: 9,036
Recruiting: Nebraska, Iowa, LSU, Michigan and others are in the mix.
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Twitter: 4,702
Instagram: 3,960
Total: 8,662
Recruiting: Jackson is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 3,629
Instagram: 5,003
Total: 8,632
Recruiting: Huard is committed to Washington.
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Twitter: 3,001
Instagram: 5,585
Total: 8,586
Recruiting: Ohio State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Texas A&M and others are involved.
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Twitter: 2,711
Instagram: 5,714
Total: 8,425
Recruiting: Moss is committed to USC.
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Twitter: 3,622
Instagram: 4,740
Total: 8,362
Recruiting: Latham is committed to Alabama.
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Twitter: 4,013
Instagram: 4,141
Total: 8,154
Recruiting: Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and others remain involved.
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Twitter: 4,394
Instagram: 3,573
Total: 7,967
Recruiting: Tengwall is committed to Penn State.
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Twitter: 3,656
Instagram: 4,100
Total: 7,756
Recruiting: Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others are battling it out for Foster.
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Twitter: 3,131
Instagram: 4,615
Total: 7,746
Recruiting: Matavao is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 3,892
Instagram: 3,839
Total: 7,731
Recruiting: Clemson, Penn State, Wisconsin and others are involved.
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Twitter: 4,206
Instagram: 3,485
Total: 7,691
Recruiting: Alabama, Texas, Auburn and LSU among others are in the mix.
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Twitter: 2,798
Instagram: 4,885
Total: 7,683
Recruiting: Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma and others remain involved.
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Twitter: 2,769
Instagram: 4,238
Total: 7,007
Recruiting: Briningstool is committed to Clemson.
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Twitter: 2,070
Instagram: 4,849
Total: 6,919
Recruiting: Ware-Hudson is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 3,957
Instagram: 2,744
Total: 6,701
Recruiting: Daniel is committed to Georgia.
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Twitter: 3,694
Instagram: 2,927
Total: 6,621
Recruiting: Colson is committed to Michigan.
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Twitter: 2,823
Instagram: 3,599
Total: 6,422
Recruiting: Oklahoma, LSU, Texas and others are involved.
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Twitter: 3,858
Instagram: 2,556
Total: 6,414
Recruiting: Bollers is committed to Wisconsin.
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Twitter: 2,632
Instagram: 3,761
Total: 6,393
Recruiting: A former Notre Dame commit, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and others are involved.
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Twitter: 3,486
Instagram: 2,868
Total: 6,354
Recruiting: Florida, Alabama, Clemson and others remain in the mix.
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Twitter: 3,233
Instagram: 3,120
Total: 6,353
Recruiting: Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU and others are near the top.
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Twitter: 4,216
Instagram: 2,106
Total: 6,322
Recruiting: Christman is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 2,167
Instagram: 4,074
Total: 6,241
Recruiting: Hall is committed to Ohio State.
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Twitter: 2,996
Instagram: 3,218
Total: 6,214
Recruiting: Jennings is committed to Florida State.
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Twitter: 3,467
Instagram: 2,269
Total: 5,736
Recruiting: Morris is committed to Georgia.
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Twitter: 3,580
Instagram: 2,124
Total: 5,704
Recruiting: Numerous SEC schools along with others are involved in Johnson’s recruitment.
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Twitter: 2,631
Instagram: 3,063
Total: 5,694
Recruiting: Maryland along with a host of SEC programs are in the mix.
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Twitter: 1,745
Instagram: 3,756
Total: 5,501
Recruiting: Gaoteote is committed to USC but Colorado and others are giving chase.
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Twitter: 3,474
Instagram: 1,705
Total: 5,179
Recruiting: Alabama, LSU, Maryland, Penn State and others are involved.
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Twitter: 3,062
Instagram: 2.055
Total:5,117
Recruiting: Wolfe is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 2,345
Instagram: 2,653
Total: 4,998
Recruiting: Sapp is committed to Florida.
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Twitter: 2,117
Instagram: 2,822
Total: 4,939
Recruiting: LSU along with Alabama, Florida State and others are in the mix.
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Twitter: 2,712
Instagram: 2,193
Total: 4,905
Recruiting: Michigan, Kentucky, Penn State, Arkansas and others are among the favorites.
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Twitter: 2,721
Instagram: 2,064
Total: 4,785
Recruiting: Hunter is committed to Auburn.
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Twitter: 2,571
Instagram: 2,168
Total: 4,739
Recruiting: Thompson is committed to Oregon.
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Twitter: 1,535
Instagram: 3,000
Total: 4,535
Recruiting: LSU, Alabama and other SEC teams are highest on Thomas’ list.
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Twitter: 3,200
Instagram: 1,334
Total: 4,534
Recruiting: Rubio is committed to Notre Dame.
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Twitter: 2,580
Instagram: 1,867
Total: 4,447
Recruiting: Pitt is believed to be the favorite but Penn State, LSU and others are involved.
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Twitter: 1,772
Instagram: 2,631
Total: 4,403
Recruiting: LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and other SEC schools are in the mix.
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Twitter: 2,224
Instagram: 1,826
Total: 4,050
Recruiting: Marley is committed to Tennessee.
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Twitter: 3,568
Instagram: 418
Total: 3,986
Recruiting: Oregon is believed to be the favorite but Georgia and many others are involved.
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Twitter: 2,671
Instagram: 1,267
Total: 3,938
Recruiting: Styles is committed to Notre Dame
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Twitter: 1,646
Instagram: 2,206
Total: 3,852
Recruiting: El-Hadi is committed to Michigan.
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Twitter: 2,490
Instagram: 1,351
Total: 3,841
Recruiting: Prochazka is committed to Nebraska.
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Twitter: 1,934
Instagram: 1,903
Total: 3,837
Recruiting: Sanders is committed to Texas.
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Twitter: 3,571
Instagram: 187
Total: 3,758
Recruiting: Oregon, Arizona State, Florida State and others remain in the mix.
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Twitter: 1,730
Instagram: 1,994
Total: 3,724
Recruiting: Hansen is committed to Michigan.
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Twitter: 1,873
Instagram: 1,618
Total: 3,491
Recruiting: Georgia, Florida State, Alabama and others are involved.
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Twitter: 1,072
Instagram: 1,888
Total: 2,960
Recruiting: Michigan, Penn State, Boston College, Virginia and others are involved.
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Twitter: 2,753
Instagram: N/A
Total: 2,753
Recruiting: Alabama, Ohio State, Kentucky and others are in the mix.
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Twitter: 2,243
Instagram: N/A
Total: 2,243
Total: SMU, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma and others are involved in his recruitment.
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Twitter: N/A
Instagram: N/A
Recruiting: Boykins is committed to North Carolina.
