West Virginia's Doug Cross Enjoying Early Success As Football's Media Consultant

Hyping players before a game or in a team meeting, recruiting, and helping guys get to the next level (NFL) are critical things every successful football wants. Doug Cross provides all of that for Mountaineer Football.

Cross is West Virginia's full time Media Consultant. Translation? He has been charged with developing West Virginia Football's brand through all forms of media and has taken on a responsibility that has allowed him to work in many roles for the team.

Cross started to develop highlight videos for the program in 2008 before graduating with a double major in Supply Chain Management and Marketing from Miami University of Ohio.The graduate then went on to get his MBA and Masters degree in Sports Management from West Virginia University through a dual program graduating in 2012. At that point and time he became a Full time Media Consultant for West Virginia Football.

"I am involved or in charge of everything from social media graphics, social media accounts and postings, mailings to prospective student athletes, facility graphics, presentation media for recruiting visits and team meetings as well as monitoring player (and coach) social media postings. I really like to be involved in anything and everything creative that WVU Football is involved in."

His duties have set the tone for recruiting at the Division 1 FBS level in this era of college football and helped WVU bring in some big time names. Students not only see his work through the recruiting letters they get and the view of facility graphics on their campus visits but they also see it at times when they want to watch highlights of Mountaineer greats before them on his YouTube channel: dougitydog.

Current Mountaineer's also get recruiting help from Cross in the pro process. Some of his highlight videos found on YouTube are strictly for the entertainment of fans but others are for the purpose of scouting and evaluation by NFL teams (see RB Dreamius Smith, OL Quinton Spain, and Mark Glowinski).

Aside from recruiting Cross also helps the football team get into game mode on game days. There is a weekly pre-game video shown to the team right before they head for the stadium. Usually the staff commends his work during pre-game while the players save the chat for after the game. Those players may be too much in the zone thanks to Cross of course.

"The one I always reflect on is the Pre-Orange Bowl video they watched which featured the glitch mob version of seven nation army. They were all doing the chant after the game during the trophy ceremony and even back at the hotel so I think it resonated with the team very well. It then went on to be the song we used in the entrance video the following year, and still currently use."

West Virginia's Head Coach Dana Holgorsen believes in the work of this position on his staff and Cross credited him for that stating he would not be doing what he does without him.

"I think there is room for growth in my role with WVU or with any football or basketball program college or professionally" Cross said. "I think most organizations or programs marketing and media is still very stale and/or outdated for the most part and I think my vision/tastes and my processes lead to developing things that appeal to the demographics that these entities would like to be reaching and appealing to."

Here's Doug's 2015 Pre-Season Hype video, so see for yourself: