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For years, the word of college football has been calling plays using signals from the sidelines. Despite the NFL using helmet communication, the NCAA has failed to adopt this usage in the sport. However, the helmet communication change is reportedly on the brink of happening.
During this past bowl season, the NCAA initiated a trial run to see how it went over with players and coaches, and the result has been generally positive, as Chris Vannini of The Athletic mentioned.
‘College football is closer than ever to allowing widespread usage of helmet communication and sideline tablets, finally catching up to the technology available at other levels of the sport. The NCAA Football Rules Committee meets at the end of February and could come out of that meeting with proposals to allow permissive use of both pieces of tech, meaning whoever wants to use them could use them. Based on the insight gathered by the committee so far, the experimental use of helmet and tablet tech during the 2023-24 season’s non-CFP bowl games was a rousing success.'
The NCAA national coordinator of officials Steve Shaw also spoke on the positive feedback: “We’ve gotten nothing but terrific feedback.”
The NFL-style helmet communication has been a big discussion point lately and has even been advocated for by a number of head coaches in the game. During the bowl season, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire admitted how it was successful for his team:
“We practiced with it four times going into the game, and it was probably one of our cleanest operations when it comes to the sideline and communication.”
After a successful trial run, all signs point to the NCAA adapting this system in a far-too-past-due change.
