How Butler grad returned to his roots as man behind SMU football’s social media
Southern Methodist University’s football program is settling back into to where it feels it belongs.
So is Carter Stanton.
“There’s never been a better time to be at SMU, I think,” said Stanton, a 2019 Butler graduate who will have a significant role in marketing the Mustangs as they return to the sport’s largest stage — in a power conference.
He was hired as SMU’s Director of Creatives in June, tailing a season in which the Mustangs went 11-3 and won the American Athletic Conference crown — their first league title since 1984. SMU formally joined the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, a transition that Stanton was able to be part of.
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— Carter Stanton (@carterstanton_) June 17, 2024
Excited to share that I’ve started my new role as the Director of Creative Strategy for @SMUFB! pic.twitter.com/xvBzheWevV
“The moment that I got here, everyone was telling me and reiterating to me that, yes, SMU’s been in the Group of Five for a long time, but they belong in the forefront of college athletics,” Stanton said. “The biggest thing is we’re in a power conference. We’re going to host Florida State this year. That’s a big deal.”
Stanton supervises all of SMU’s photo, video and graphic content. The catalog is used internally — such as for recruiting purposes — and externally, on social media or in-stadium. His department includes a full-time assistant and a team of students.
Stanton and his team brought a vintage feel to media day, adding a VHS-looking touch to hype videos shot in a blue and red laser show. They’ve also made mock video game covers based off Electronic Arts’ College Football 25 that included head coach Rhett Lashlee and former “Pony Express” stars Eric Dickerson and Craig James.
Stanton previously worked as a student intern for Oklahoma State University’s athletic department from 2020-23 and as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ social media coordinator last season. The latter, he said, centered mainly around the cadence, strategy and timing of posting on social media.
He missed being involved in college football, though. Stanton describes himself as a nerd, infatuated with the ins and outs of the sport — namely the myriad uniform combinations, different stadiums and conference realignment.
“A lot of these things, I feel like, are being highlighted by the video game this summer,” Stanton said. “It’s so funny that a lot of NFL fans are figuring out what makes college football so special. It’s the pageantry, it’s the tradition, it’s the players and the personalities. It’s about so much more than just the result on the field.
“College football is chaotic. It’s full of random, crazy stories.”
Mainly a professional sports fans, he realized how exciting football at the college level was in high school. He started sharpening his skills around the same time, making graphic designs and highlight packages in his free time.
Soon enough, athletes began reaching out, asking him to make highlight videos for them. He built up his YouTube channel that way and gained a following gradually.
Stanton began attending Oklahoma State in the spring semester of 2020. He was hired by the Cowboys’ athletics department in his first month at the school.
“I just (ate), slept and breathed at that facility, basically,” Stanton said. “I got to the point where my last couple of years I was really overseeing a lot of what we were doing while I was still a student. I was leading our social media posting efforts, I was traveling with the team, shooting video, making videos from every game, shooting practice.
“You name it, I was doing it.”
According to SkullSparks, a branding company involved in social media analytics, Oklahoma State’s official team social accounts had the largest percent increase in followers in a one-year span which Stanton was part of the team. Stanton recently wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, SMU’s program had gained the second-most followers in the ACC and garnered more than two million impressions in its first two weeks and change in the conference.
“Stuff like that helps honestly (with) just knowing that I’m supposed to be here,” Stanton said. “There’s a reason that I’m doing this. The results aren’t everything, (but) certainly seeing stuff like that is comforting and it reassures you that the work you’re putting in is going somewhere.
“I’ve only been here for two months and we’re seeing all kinds of growth, which is amazing.”
