Why Your Player Development Messaging Is More Important Now Than Ever
If You Don’t Tell Them, They’ll Never Know What You Do
College sports are changing—fast. And if we don’t change how we communicate what we do in player development, we will be left behind.
In the past year, we’ve seen programs across the country scaling back or even eliminating player development roles—not because they don’t matter, but because people don’t understand the value. Administrators are cutting roles. Coaches are consolidating departments. And the loudest voices at the table? They’re the ones showing their value, not assuming others just “get it.”
Let me be real: you can't be invisible and expect to be valued.
The Numbers That Shocked Me
With help from Taja Dotson, Dominic Ferrucci, Nicole Devlin, and Campbell Leid, I commissioned a study on how visible player development professionals are online—specifically in college football. Here's what we found:
LinkedIn Updated Title: 79% had an accurate role listed
LinkedIn Post About Work: Only 23% had ever posted about their role
Twitter Bio Updated: 54% mentioned their role
Instagram Bio Updated: Just 44% showed their work in player development
When I saw these numbers, I was stunned—and you’ll hear my raw, unfiltered reaction in this week’s podcast episode.
But the point is this:
If people don’t know what we do, they’ll assume it doesn’t matter.
We Have to Step It Up—Together
This is bigger than social media.
This is about protecting the future of athlete development.
Every post. Every conversation. Every moment you share your work—it helps a coach understand. It helps an AD reconsider. It helps an athlete feel supported. It helps a department decide to invest instead of cut.
But we can’t wait for permission. We have to start telling our stories.
4 Ways to Clearly Communicate Your Impact
If you’re not sure how to message what you do, here’s a framework I’ll break down more on the podcast:
1. Introductory Pitch
Craft a short, clear way to explain what you do that hits on:
The problem you solve
How it connects to your story
The reality athletes are facing
The payoff your work provides
2. Program Details
When you explain your programming, lead with this 3-part model:
The problem athletes were facing
The solution you designed
The result you delivered
3. Your Content
Use content to show impact. What to post:
Impact you’ve had
Impact athletes can receive
Impact others can have by investing in player development
LinkedIn is the place for this. One post a week puts you in the top 10% of users. One post a month still makes you visible. No excuses. We need you visible.
4. Your Resume
You’re not just “supporting athletes.” You’re moving the needle. Use quantitative impact on your resume:
Number of athletes mentored
Retention rate increase
Number of events/initiatives delivered
Survey feedback or testimonials
This Helps YOU—and the Whole Field
You sharing your work helps your career. It helps your athletes. It helps the departments who still don’t get it begin to see it.
And most importantly: it helps the future of our field.
The more visibility we create, the more undeniable our impact becomes.
Want to Go Deeper? Join the Accelerator.
If this framework helped you, the Player Development Accelerator is for you.
We spend a full 90-minute session focused on messaging and storytelling—helping you clarify what you do and how to talk about it with power. You’ll leave with the exact pitch, post framework, and story strategy to elevate your career and educate your department.
🎯 Click here to take the ScoreApp Assessment and see if the Accelerator is right for you.
Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
And right now—player development needs you to speak up.
Let’s go.