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Utah Utes linebacker Karene Reid (21) celebrate his pick-six against the UCLA Bruins in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah was part of the test program last December, and now it’s going to be a part of college football.
Finally, in-helmet radio communication is coming to the NCAA.
The in-helmet communication system was first used in the NFL in 1994, when coaches were able to communicate with quarterbacks through the radio system. Fourteen years later, in 2008, the league also granted radio access to one defensive player, whose helmet is marked with a green dot.
The Utes tested the system out in their Las Vegas Bowl loss to Northwestern, using radio communication for one player on both offense and defense, plus tablets on the sideline for coaches to do video review with players.
Both of those changes — in-helmet radio communication and video tablets on the sideline — are being implemented in college football this fall.
That was something Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was hoping would happen after using the technology last December, noting that the radio system was a “big positive.”
“I’m hoping they adopt it next year because it makes so much sense, and all the sign stealing and the things you read about, all that crap would be out the window with the communication if they go to that,” Whittingham said last year.
The talk about implementing the radio system — which would cut down on the need to signal in plays, something especially relevant last year in the wake of the Michigan sign-stealing investigation — has been in motion for years. This offseason, the NCAA rules commission voted to allow it for FBS games.
The offensive player that will be able to access the in-helmet communication is obvious — it will be the quarterback. On defense, it’s usually the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/helmet-communication-coming-college-football-003446187.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-08-19 00:34:46
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