Next Class 2013 Garners National Attention For FOX Sports South

The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013 premiered on FOX Sports South Monday, January 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET. The show was hosted by Desmond Purnell and FOX Sports Next national recruiting analysts Chad Simmons and Jamie Newberg.

(l-r) Desmond Purnell, Jamie Newberg and Chad Simmons
on The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013 set.

Thanks in large part to Simmons and Newberg’s close relationship with many of the recruits, three of the country’s top-ranked prospects chose to make their commitments live on The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013. Three-star safety Juwaan Williams announced his decision to attend Oregon on the Monday, January 28 episode, and both five-star linebacker Reuben Foster (Alabama) and five-star running back Alex Collins (Arkansas) made their commitments on Monday, February 4.

Promo discussing Juwaan Williams college announcement.

(l-r) John Franklin, Alex Collins and Reuben Foster pose withcollege helmets
(Click to watch video). 

The first four episodes of The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013 broke down the latest recruiting news every week leading up to National Signing Day, with a final episode on Wednesday, February 6 recapping the day’s signings. The show also featured interviews with some of the top prospects and coaches in the country, including the nation’s No.1 prospect and five-star defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, who will attend Ole Miss in the Fall, four-star running back Alvin Kamara and his future coach, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Other recruits who appeared live in-studio were five-star defensive tackle Montravius Adams (click here to watch promo video), who will attend Auburn, and three-star cornerback and Florida State signee John Franklin.

No. 1 college football recruit Robert Nkemdiche talks with
Chad Simmons for The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013

TWITTER REACH:

During the five weeks that the show aired, The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013 generated a far reaching conversation over Twitter.  An analysis of tweets that referenced show participants, including:  Desmond Purnell, Reuben Foster, Alex Collins, Jamie Newberg, and Chad Simmons, as well as key words such as “FOX Sports South,” “FOX Sports Next” or “Scout” indicated that there were approximately 971 tweets with more than 1 million accounts reached and 2 million impressions just over the course of the final week of the series.  

A broader search looking at the overall conversation about “National Signing Day” and “FOX Sports” calculated that there were 1,495 tweets reaching 2,743,786 Twitter accounts and generating 4,695,606 impressions from February 5-7.

PRESS COVERAGE:

The news around Foster’s interesting recruiting story garnered much attention in the press. Below are some of stories about his commitment to Alabama featuring FOX Sports South. 

ESPN - Reuben Foster commits to Alabama 

Bleacher Report - SEC Recruiting Power Rankings Post Reuben Foster Commitment to Alabama 

The Huntsville Times - Five-star linebacker Reuben Foster commits to Alabama 

Opelika Auburn News - Auburn High's Reuben Foster announces commitment to Alabama 

BamaOnline.com - Foster commits to Alabama 

SB Nation - Reuben Foster commits to Alabama: Tide lands nation's top inside linebacker ... 

College Spun - BREAKING: Reuben Foster Commits To Alabama 

The Husky Haul - Washington Football Recruiting: Reuben Foster Picks Alabama 

FS South - 'Bama lands Foster; Collins is Arkansas-bound 

Red and Black - Reuben Foster chooses Crimson Tide in long-awaited decision 

National Football Post (blog) - Top recruit Foster set to make his commitment 

The Birmingham News - State's top recruit Reuben Foster set to announce decision Monday night 

AJC - Reuben Foster commits to Alabama again 
al.com - Where will Reuben Foster land? Alabama, Auburn or elsewhere? (poll)