By Diontre Delk

Social media seems to make its way into every aspect of life. After all, it is one of the fastest ways to notify the public of news. This is also another way to recruit without breaking any rules.

There have been many stories in the past about athletes, (young and old), misusing social networks like Twitter and Instagram. But very rarely is there ever a problem with faculty misusing these social networks, until recently.

Recently, there has been a trend in the recruiting industry, and athletes and recruiters need to be aware of what’s going on.

A student athlete named Houshun Gaines was recently deceived by who he thought was a University of Florida recruiter named Brad Lawing. The three-star recruit was encouraged to make a commitment to the University of Florida, leaving behind other great opportunities at North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and the University of Miami.

It’s easy to see why Gaines was so easily persuaded to make his commitment. He has indeed met the real Brad Lawing and the Florida Gators have shown interest, just not as much as Gaines was led to believe.

Who’s to be blamed at this point? The University of Florida? The head coach, Nash Central? The student-athlete himself?

There is a lot of gray area in this situation and it needs to be addressed for future references.

If an athlete were to think that they had an official scholarship from a university and decided to prolong their final choice until a later date, then a kid could be without a locker in the fall if they chose the school that never officially offered.

Perhaps if full time coaches/ recruiters were certified on Twitter, they could be more easily distinguished. Also, I think that recruiters should contact the head coach of the targeted athlete for these reasons before communicating with the athlete.