Fans who follow Howard Football’s social media pages often find slick visuals, moving narrative and a brand identity that feels more cohesive than before. Behind that evolution is a Howard student whose name rarely appears on the screen: Justin Smith, head of social media for the football program.
A junior strategic communications major from Hollywood Beach, Florida, Smith assumed his current role in August, but his influence began last spring when he started working with Howard Football. He prepared a pitch deck that outlined a vision for branching into the digital space. Instead of simply focusing on athletic performance, Smith set his sights on something more profound: the players’ humanity.
“I wanted to showcase them in all lenses,” he said, noting that players are students, leaders and members of the community, besides people with engaging personalities. The human-first philosophy served as the heartbeat of Howard Football’s digital maturation.
Results were swift.
In 20 weeks, Smith and his team of 11 students generated more than three million impressions. An Instagram post in September, after Howard beat Hampton, became the program’s top-performing post ever. It drew 10,900 likes and 187 comments. The record was broken in October, when a celebrity look-a-like post drew 19,200 likes and 192 comments,
Smith credits his success to some experimentation and continuous evolution. “I see the algorithm as one large experiment,” he said. “I develop theories, test them, and let the results guide my strategy.” His ability to adapt, partner and analyze trends has increased the program’s digital presence consistently each week.
Smith’s leadership approach has also shifted the culture of Howard’s football media team. He is intentional about structuring roles around the students’ strengths, whether it’s graphic design, video production, strategy or photography. Each student can contribute in the area they are most effective.
“I don’t care what your credibility looks like,” Smith said. “I care about how effective you are.” He aims to create a structured, dependable, creative unit that feels like a professional marketing team, rather than a club for students.
Howard Football content creator and strategist Robyn Tate said Smith’s approach has a meaningful impact on students’ progress within the program. She said collaborating with Smith is “amazing” and “motivating,” attributing it to his communication skills and understanding of students’ workloads.
Tate said Smith helped her learn to look at content “from different angles,” rather than a singular creative vision. She said he creates an atmosphere – especially for unique games like Howard vs. Hampton – that brings out the best from everyone on staff.
“Winning that game was a pivotal moment for the team,” Tate said. “And the energy all week leading up to it was incredible.”
Smith’s inventive impact extends to noteworthy moments for the program as well, namely when Howard Football secured its first NIL deal with Clear Eye View. He was called on to be the campaign’s creative director, with only two days to create everything on camera.
Drawing on his experience as a fashion model with multiple national publications, Smith once again immersed himself in styling, posing and directing the look and feel of cameras.
Howard University’s The Dig reported on the partnership and its significance. “This collaboration reflects the standard we set for Howard Athletics – innovative, student‑centered, and true to our culture,” said Kery Davis, HU’s vice president and director of athletics.
Smith said seeing his ideas come to life was “one of the most exciting things” in his social media career. To students hoping to pursue careers in sports media, his advice is simple: “Don’t tell yourself no first.” He stresses that experience isn’t everything; confidence, flexibility and the ability to sideline ego and take criticism are essential in sports media.
Through vision, experimentation and a responsibly authentic approach to telling players’ stories, Smith has reimagined Howard Football’s digital media landscape. The work illustrates how sometimes the most influential storytellers are just off-screen.
Olivia Brown is a senior public relations major and sports administration minor at Howard University, originally from Chicago.
