This is Football Recruiting, 2016.
Some of the industry's biggest secrets are held in the hands of Hayes Fawcett, a 15-year-old from Kinder, La., who creates many of the most popular photo edits for top prospects seen on social media.
He does it all on his cell phone.
“This is all I pretty much know how to do right now,” Fawcett said. “Pretty soon, I’m going to start doing them on a computer once I learn how to work Photoshop once I get some money to purchase that.”
Photo editing is nothing new, but in the last few years Fawcett and other prolific football recruiting nuts have integrated it into social media and specifically to this specific niche.
Contact a top prospect – or many times they reach out to Fawcett – get some pictures, grab the school list and once the recruit is prepared to announce his list of favorites or his commitment, the photo edit is ready to go.
The key is that Fawcett knows the top list before almost anyone else and absolutely before it’s made public. That trust, that openness between both parties, is the crux of everything he does with photo editing – and the news that recruiting reporters work around the clock to break to the masses.
Because Fawcett helps with the photo edits, top prospects have no problem divulging some of their biggest secrets ahead of time.
Four-star receiver Jerry Jeudy from Deerfield Beach, Fla., is a recent example. He will be making his commitment on Thursday evening and Fawcett is doing the final edit so he already knows where Jeudy is headed, although that’s under lock-and-key.
Discretion is the better part of photo editing.
“That is everything,” Fawcett said. “Knowing they have my trust and I’ll be able to do every edit they need without them having to worry about me giving anything away.
“It’s not that difficult for me. I’m pretty good at keeping it a secret.”
Fawcett’s entrance into this world started as innocently as possible – and he still does all his edits for free.
After dabbling with some professional athlete editing on Instagram, current LSU running back and former five-star prospect Derrius Guice took notice and asked Fawcett to work up some edits.
Since Fawcett is an LSU fan, he jumped at the chance to work some things up. It has not slowed down.
“I remember the week of the Army All-American Game when (Guice) played in it that’s when a whole bunch of recruits started getting with me and I noticed I could get a lot more exposure from the high school athletes because it’s easier for them to see my work than the professional guys,” Fawcett said.
“I thought it was pretty cool. LSU is my favorite team and just knowing (Guice) would be one of the future running backs for them I thought that would be pretty cool.”
College coaches have not contacted Fawcett about giving them the early scoop, but the teenager has noticed some do follow him on social media. He took a picture with LSU coach Les Miles on a recent trip to Baton Rouge.
A glance at Fawcett’s Twitter account shows a smattering of followers from those involved with college programs, including LSU Assistant AD/Football Administration Austin Thomas, Maryland director of recruiting Marcus Berry, Georgia quality control for defense Jay Valai, Oregon assistant coach Ron Aiken and USF quarterbacks coach Shaun King, among others. A good chunk of his more than 6,600 followers are football recruits.
The control recruits have exerted over their personal branding and their command over the news they want released have been among the changes Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell has seen, especially in recent years.
“There has definitely been a transition in the recruiting world of kids wanting to announce on their own and wanting to make it special,” Farrell said.
“You’re seeing it not only in the Twitter edits and graphics, but you’re seeing it in these videos. Some of them are a bit ridiculous like The Walking Dead and jumping out of a plane. Wasn’t there one on a boat and there was another one where the guy was dodging the teams he wasn’t going to choose? They’re going to run out of ideas pretty quick.”
Where it goes next, who knows? Maybe that’s part of the appeal.
“In this day and age of social media, they have every right to announce the biggest moment of their life on their own in whatever way they want to do it,” Farrell said. “Our job has become to react to it more than to be the voice of it. It’s creative and interesting and that’s 2016 for you. Ten years from now, who knows, they could be doing holograms or having virtual press conferences. We have no idea what’s coming.”
What’s coming for Fawcett is the commitment edit for Jeudy, but he’s not giving away any hints. He’s working on a whole backlog of photo edits and more come every day. Fawcett said he tries to do each one – even though that’s tough – because he doesn’t want to let anyone down.
Lately, Fawcett has been working on a favorites list for three-star defensive end Markaviest Bryant from Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County.
Which teams made the list?
Fawcett isn’t saying. Of course.
