Jared Harding

Founder of @tewdilly | Sports Brand Strategy | Ex-Pro Sports Digital Exec | Follow for thoughts on #Leadership, #Content #Business #Growth #Marketing #SMSports

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

The portal didn’t level the playing field.

It shifted power — to coaches.

Everyone’s available now. That means everyone’s also replaceable.

Ep. 9. #RecruitingReality

[Hardwood Basketball @Hardwood_Elite]

We want our #HardwoodKids to have every advantage.

That’s why @jaredharding is now working directly with our athletes and families on social media and NIL.

NIL starts now — not when the offers come in.

Follow @tewdilly and DM “HARDWOOD” for exclusive pricing. 👊

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Coaches aren’t just scouting your game.

They’re scouting you.

Your tape shows one. Your character shows the other. Make sure both are findable.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

One NCAA vote could make the scholarship you were just offered disappear.

Coaches are still recruiting like they know what next year looks like. The proposed 5-in-5 eligibility rule could flood rosters with returning seniors — and nobody’s warning the recruits.

[Colorado Preps @coloradopreps]

Talking about recruiting without destroying the dinner table | by @jaredharding/@tewdilly #copreps https://t.co/hShZHUh8KX

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Brands stopped paying for TV ratings.

They pay for engagement now.

A gymnast with a loyal TikTok following can out-earn a starting linebacker.

Female athletes who figured this out first are cashing in.

#NIL #FemaleAthletes

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

The car ride home after a game is the most damaging 10 minutes in youth sports.

Most parents have no idea.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Most athletes are waiting until their content looks “pro” before they start posting.

That’s backwards.

The athletes building real brands right now are just documenting who they are consistently.

Your iPhone is enough.
Your story is enough.

Stop perfecting. Start posting.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

A $500M vehicle just launched pulling athletes into ownership stakes in consumer brands. 250+ athletes committed $50M+ collectively.

This isn’t endorsement money.

Brand equity built early became leverage. That’s the part nobody explains to young athletes.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Everyone seemed to think AJ Dybantsa got caught slipping at the recent NBA Draft Lottery.

But he showed up to the combine in a suit and called it his first job interview.

The internet was reading his face.

He was managing his brand.

[Colorado Preps @coloradopreps]

PUSHING THROUGH OBSTACLES

The hardest-pushing parents are sometimes the biggest obstacle to their kid getting recruited.

🎯 Three things every parent of an athlete needs to hear — from someone who spent 17 years on the executive side of professional sports and now helps athletes build brands that get them noticed.

Follow Jared at @tewdilly for more on NIL, social media, and recruiting. 

#copreps

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Sienna Betts won a national championship as a freshman and was the No. 2 recruit in the country.

Many athletes would coast on that.

Lauren’s moved on to the WNBA, so the spotlight is fully hers now.

And what she does with it matters more than the ring.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​..

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Become the type of athlete coaches want to recruit — on and off the field.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

47% of college athletes wish they’d done fewer NIL deals.

59% earned less than expected.

They didn’t have a brand. So every deal looked like the right deal.

Clarity first. Always.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

The people writing NIL rules just got accused of breaking them.

The CSC cleared $75M in deals while class counsel called it an overreach.

Nobody at that table is thinking about the athlete.

Build a brand that doesn’t need their permission.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

The NBA Combine happened this week in Chicago...

The part that actually moves draft boards isn’t what most people think.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

You don’t have a content problem.

You have a clarity problem.

Figure out who you are first. Everything else gets easier.

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

ATTENTION PARENTS OF ATHLETES

👇

[Colorado Preps @coloradopreps]

There are ways to support high school athletes without adding pressure | by @jaredharding/@tewdilly #copreps https://t.co/SKogmf6wb2

[Jared Harding | Athlete + Sports Brand Strategist @tewdilly]

Your social profile is a tryout you didn't know about.

Coaches pull up your social before they ever call you. Your content, your bio, your consistency — it all sends signals.

Most athletes are posting. Few are signaling.

If I were recruiting you, here’s what I’d look for. 🧵