If high school football recruits are looking for information about LSU, there’s an app for that.
Touch Studios, in conjunction with LSU, released the Miles Method iPad app Sept. 16, which aims to deliver program-specific content to future Tigers.
“It’s an app to help LSU football reach out and [respond] to the potential high school recruits so they can learn more about the program and some of the advantages of being an LSU football player,” said Neel Sus, CEO and founder of Touch Studios.
With the Miles Method, LSU became the first school to offer content about the football program through an iPad app. The Miles Method’s early success has created interest from other schools to develop a similar app, Sus said.
“We’ve had a couple calls, and we’re in the beginning of development with some schools now,” Sus said.
LSU approached the New Orleans-based development firm in July to begin work on the app. Recruiting coordinator and running backs coach Frank Wilson and head coach Les Miles played a big part in the development, said Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette.
“They determined what direction they wanted to go and what areas of the program they wanted to showcase and highlight,” Bonnette said.
The app’s main feature, the Miles Method, gives recruits a look at Miles’ philosophy both on and off the field. It also delivers technical information about the coach’s systems and how a player could fit in as a freshman.
The TigerTube feature, a YouTube-like interface, provides up-to-date video including game highlights and player reels. The app also links directly to Miles’ various social networking sites.
“Anytime you can have an opportunity to sell your program to prospective student-athletes or your fans, it will have an impact,” Bonnette said. “This is a unique way to do that. It’s just another way to share the LSU experience.”
LSU and Touch Studios have already begun brainstorming ideas to update the app, and Sus plans to make it more user interactive in the future.
The Miles Method appeared as a popular sports app in the App Store shortly after its release. Sus estimated the number of downloads to be in the low thousands.
“The feedback we’ve gotten has been very good,” Bonnette said. “It’s certainly innovative. It puts us in an area where we’re in a league of our own.”
LSU has primarily used social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about the app. The app is currently free of charge, and Sus believes it will remain that way.
“I can’t speak for LSU, but I think the intent was to spread the word, so I don’t see this app ever being something you pay for,” Sus said.
Bonnette hopes this new technology has given LSU the opportunity to spread the football program to a number of fans and recruits.
“We’re trying to be on the cutting edge of opportunities, and technology has given this opportunity to us,” Bonnette said. “We’re going to do the best we can to spread the word and let people know more about our program.”
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]