Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes have their own secret weapon for recruiting
CORAL GABLES — Like most Miami Hurricanes fans, Leo Ramos has spent much of the last two months glued to his phone, waiting to see what social-media tricks new coach Manny Diaz has up his sleeves.
The night Diaz hinted about the eventual return of Hurricanes receiver Jeff Thomas and former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell announced he was transferring to Miami, Ramos was hesitant to go to sleep, afraid he might miss the next bit of major news in Coral Gables. On Father’s Day two years ago, Ramos grew emotional when former St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Al Blades Jr. announced he was committing to Miami — by posting a graphic on Twitter that included an image of his late father.
For Ramos, moments like those matter. And they’re personal.
Not only does he want to see his alma mater work its way back to the pinnacle of college football, but more often than not, those moments involve a graphic he has put together as the creative director for the Miami football team. For him, knowing he has connected with a recruit matters.
Both Blades and Martell turned to social media and used Ramos’ designs when they announced their decisions to join the Miami program. Last week when former five-star prospect Jaelan Phillips announced he was transferring from UCLA to Miami, he too, used one of Ramos’ graphics to let fans know where he was headed.
And in the weeks ahead of last month’s National Signing Day and December’s Early Signing Period, Ramos was in overdrive, creating personalized graphics, credentials and itineraries for all of the prospects — and their families — that visited Miami.
“It’s very cool and the coolest part is getting to meet the kids in person after working with their images for long. Meeting their parents, seeing what kind of family they come from. … You see these extended families coming on these visits and they’re so proud,” said Ramos, 37. “And then when a kid puts up one of my graphics, yeah, it’s awesome. But I always have to remind myself – I’m the cherry, I’m not the cake. I’m a little piece in the end. I’m used as a tool for the coaches to help make their point.”
As social media has become a constant in the world of recruiting, college football programs across the country have hired designers like Ramos to help them deliver their messages and build on their brands.
Designers create everything from the graphics that showcase a team’s upcoming schedule to images that can be used as cell phone background screens. They design the personalized scholarship offer letters coaches send prospects and create images to celebrate personal milestones in those prospects’ lives, from birthdays to being named All-Americans.
At Miami, Ramos — who joined the football staff in 2017 after spending four years in the athletic department and seven years at UM’s medical school — has done all of that, and more. He’s helped create the images used on the Hurricanes’ equipment truck, designed the windscreens that line the Greentree Practice Fields and consulted on some of the design elements inside the new Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility.
Ramos has, Diaz said, become an integral part of what the Hurricanes are trying to do in a myriad of ways.
“We need more Leos,” Diaz said with a laugh. “That’s where this is going, realistically. He’s fighting a battle on multiple fronts, but he’s been so professional about it. He’s worked so hard to try to meet the ever-increasing needs of what we ask for in recruiting. … [Schools] are all fighting the same battle. … It’s all about being seen and it gets into the same battle of views and retweets and all that type of stuff. It’s just so important to have that ability to push your brand and social media has been an easy way for everyone in college football to do it.”
That competition is part of what makes Ramos’ job so intense. Trying to catch the attention of highly-coveted recruits who are being pursued by a number of major programs is a constant fight. And there’s the time-consuming nature of recruiting itself.
Ramos doesn’t always know when a social-media savvy high school star or high-profile transfer might announce they’re coming to Miami, so he makes it a priority to be connected to the Hurricanes’ coaching staff virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
That can be a challenge when he’s trying to spend time with his wife Martha, who he met while both attended UM, or his three young children, LJay, Colin and Olivia.
“If I go to Disney, I have my laptop with me. When I go to my kid’s baseball games, when I pull over in traffic. I designed once at the ESPN sports bar at Epcot Center,” Ramos said. “I was just sitting there, designing, because stuff had to get done. You have to be on call. Even when we have our extended vacation in July, there’s always something — a milestone in someone’s life or someone’s loved one passes and you want to do more than just send a text. We want to show them that we’re thinking about you and we wanted to do this for you.”
But for Ramos, the long hours and logistical challenges are hurdles worth overcoming. For him, being a part of Miami’s football program is the stuff of dreams. Connecting, even in a small way, with the players the Hurricanes hope to have on their roster is worth savoring.
“It’s a dream. I still can’t believe that I get paid to do what I do,” Ramos said. “At my old jobs, you’d look at the clock and hope it was 5 o’clock. Now, I look at it in reverse. It’s a countdown clock for me. I’m always racing to get more done. … It’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s fun. It’s an amazing ride to be a part of and this is a very special time for the program.”