Recruiting and social media: Former OSU star Thurman Thomas' tweet to Laquon Treadwell draws attention

“@SuccessfulQuon OSU OSU OSU #OklahomaState,” Thomas tweeted at Treadwell.

Thomas is just like anybody else — contacting a prospective student athlete, even through social media, is against NCAA rules. But naturally, a tweet from an NFL Hall of Famer is going to attract more attention than one from an average fan.

Several OSU supporters responded to Thomas' tweet, echoing his endorsement and trying to sway Treadwell to come to Stillwater.

Social media, though, continues to be a difficult area for schools to monitor.

The eyes of Kevin Fite, OSU's associate athletic director for compliance, widened a bit when asked specifically about Thomas' tweet. That's because he didn't know about it.

“Well, it looks like something we need to do,” Fite said of keeping an eye on former players.

The famous alumni — at the state schools and elsewhere — are not limited to athletes. They can be stars of the entertainment world. Or the business world. Or, really, any world.

“It's our responsibility to educate those individuals to make sure they are not involved in the recruiting process,” said Jason Leonard, Oklahoma's executive director for athletic compliance. “That includes Twitter and social networking.”