By: Holland Mowry

Athens, GA – Between practice blocks a week before Georgia was set to play Tennessee, assistant football equipment manager Jayan Patel found himself in his boss’ office. “Can you review this for me?” Wil Wells asked, handing him the phone. 

Patel watched the screen as his co-worker, Miles McLendon, carefully demonstrated how they prepare their game balls in a short video. 

“I said to Wil, ‘This is awesome,” Patel recalled. 

Now, just over a month later, the video has over 11,000 likes and an astounding 373,000 views on the managers’ Instagram. “The stuff we do, we enjoy making,” said Patel, “And so we think that if we enjoy making it, people enjoy watching it.” 

Every college football team has an equipment staff comprised of anywhere from four to 20 managers. As these equipment teams have developed over time, so have their individual personas and reputations, giving way to a unique subculture within college football.

In recent years, equipment managers have documented this culture on social media. Starting as early as 2009, college football equipment managers began to appear on Twitter, and then in 2015, they started showing up on Instagram. Not only do these accounts allow people to see behind the scenes, but they also establish these equipment teams as something more than just football operations.

Out of the 65 schools in the Power Five conferences, 36 of them have equipment teams that have been actively creating content for the 2022 football season. There are 32 equipment teams on Twitter and 11 on Instagram; seven of those have profiles on both. They greatly range in the number of followers, averaging 11,912 across both platforms. 

Part of what makes these accounts so interesting is the fact that no two are the same. Some accounts focus on strictly equipment—like uniform reveals or building helmets —while others highlight their managers, putting them and their hard work in the spotlight instead. Some are equipped with photographers and graphic designers, while others consist of content simply shot on a cellphone. 

At the University of North Carolina, assistant director of creative services Matthew Fedder is currently in his fourth season managing creative operations for Carolina football. Upon partnering with the Jordan brand in 2019, UNC established an official equipment Instagram as a place to show off football gear.

 “In terms of the equipment account, if you look back, things will look very different.” Fedder said. “But now, we just try to keep it looking the same as the main social page. As a creative organization, we try to keep things standardized and looking good across the board.”

Whereas the official football Instagram focuses on games and accolades, the equipment account highlights the gear. Uniform reveals, player features, cleat designs, player-exclusive Jordan sneakers and helmet specs – all professionally shot and edited – make up a majority of their feed. 

“A lot of times, before we shoot something, we’ll say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do photos and video,” Fedder said.  “The photos we’re going to collab with the equipment account, the video we’re going to collab with the player.”

These collaborations ensure that each UNC football account works in tandem; for them, consistency is crucial to maintaining their sleek and professional brand. 

However, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, some equipment teams have found success through different means. 

At the beginning of UGA’s 2022 season, Wells, the assistant director of football equipment, told his team of 18 managers, “I want our social media to grow, if y’all have any ideas for content, just make a video, send it to me. If I like it, we’ll post it.”

Since then, the account has transformed into equipment management from the perspective of those 18 managers. Content creation is entirely up to them. There’s very little structure, lots of creative freedom, and no professional experience. But the casual randomness has become their biggest asset, and it allows the manager’s personalities to shine. 

“I think that showing the equipment managers brings a little life to the page itself.” Patel said. “I think it’s more personal, you feel like you have a personal connection with us.”

Whether they be walking viewers through loading player bags, teasing new uniforms, or asking each other questions like ‘Who would you not let get on aux?’, the account’s identity is just as much manager personalities as it is equipment.

“I think the shift is great for us,” said Patel. “Overall, I think it’s a better way to represent ourselves.” 

The account gained over 30,000 followers this season alone to over 61,900, the most of any management staff social media across all platforms. This exponential growth has other managers considering changing the direction of their content as well, even though at present, Georgia is pioneering that trend. 

“I do think those accounts work well in an informal way,” UNC’s Fedder stated. “I like a lot of behind-the-scenes, and there’s a large opportunity for us to show more of it, but we just haven’t been able to tap into that. Currently, we have the best engagement we’ve ever had, but in terms of the actual equipment managers, that’s something I’m hoping to do in the future.”