Coach's Confidential: How can the recruiting process and social media co-exist?

In the leadup to the battle between Ohio State and Wisconsin on Saturday, it was revealed that former elite running back recruit Antonio Williams, who flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Ohio State, was essentially asked to look elsewhere after a negative tweet about then-Badgers quarterback Joel Stave.

It's not the first nor last illustration of the dangers of social media. One thing I asked coaches about before the season for the Coach's Confidential series was another social media pitfall -- the backlash faced by recruits when they do commit.

Specifically, when an elite Wisconsin kid recruits to an out-of-state program, they tend to hear about it from many disappointed fans within the state. And so the question:

What advice would you give an elite-level kid who's committed to a big college, specifically as it relates to the social media backlash that has become commonplace, particularly involving an opposing school's fan base?

Coach 1: I tell kids the more you put on social media, the greater the response will be, both good and bad. Understand that not everyone loves you or is happy for you, your accomplishments or your ideas.

Coach 2: Do what's right for you. Don't worry about people you don't know.

Coach 3: Ha - stay off it, no need to put your future in jeopardy so you can retweet something goofy.  You have more important things to do than see how many followers you have.

Coach 4: Treat every single social media post like it could be posted on the front page of tomorrow morning’s newspaper. The reality is this, college coaches will not recruit you based solely on things they may see or hear on your social media postings. As a student-athlete, you have to be careful and smart.