College coaches tracking Cedar Creek's Ahmir Mitchell on Twitter

Ahmir Mitchell checked his phone on Wednesday afternoon, browsed Twitter, and noticed he had picked up a new follower. It was Thomas Guerry, a member of Virginia Tech's football staff.

Cedar Creek's star wide receiver said this is usually one of the signs that a college is readying to extend him a scholarship offer.

In the new age of recruiting, college coaches monitor high school players on social media, hoping to get a glimpse of their personalities. Guerry is Virginia Tech's director of high school relations and one of his main responsibilities is social media.

Mitchell's Twitter account (@TheDeuce_2_Nice) also is followed by coaches from Mississippi, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State. All four schools have offered the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior a scholarship in the last month. He also holds offers from Michigan, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, and others.

Rivals ranks Mitchell as a four-star recruit and New Jersey's fourth-best player in the Class of 2016. He has 16 catches this season for 367 yards. He uses his speed to break open big plays and is also an accomplished blocker.

"That is key on our team: If you can't block, then you shouldn't play," Mitchell said. "In the wide receiver position, that's what creates big plays in the run game and then opens up the passing game. Blocking was probably the reason I started as a freshman, because I took it as a mandatory obligation."

With college coaches watching, Mitchell said he thinks back to advice from Timber Creek assistant Mike Forest. The team's wide receiver coach is one of Mitchell's mentors, and Forest helped guide Mitchell's older brother, Damon, in his recruitment process two seasons ago. (Damon is now at Arkansas.) The coach told Ahmir to "do what you would do if your mom was watching."

"You would never go out of hand it you were with your parents," Mitchell said. "You have to be aware that you're always under the microscope by everyone. Be the type of person you would want your kid to look up to."

Mitchell - as most high school players do - uses Twitter to spread news of his recruitment. He tweeted a picture of Joe Paterno on Monday night to announce his Penn State offer. He posted a picture of a Notre Dame player to say he had an offer from the Fighting Irish. A picture of himself with Rutgers coach Kyle Flood alerted Mitchell's followers that the Scarlet Knights had offered him a scholarship.

Will he soon be tweeting similar news about Virginia Tech?

"Hopefully I do. I always just put that in God's hands and let the process go along," he said. "But with their coaches following me, we'll start to get a better relationship. If everything plays out right, I hope I will."

La Salle hit the recruiting trail this week and extended scholarship offers to Chicago's Karl Harris and Alabama's Trey Kalina. Harris, a 6-4 guard, will visit La Salle on Oct. 17, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Harris also holds offers from Toledo and Wright State, among others. Kalina, a 6-11 center, has offers from Appalachian State and Liberty.