Despite the slightly disappointing ending, the University of Utah's final game of the 2023 college football season was a game that will go down in history.
No statistical records were broken, no attendance records were set, but the Utes became part of history as the NCAA took a giant leap forward in the advancement of college football. Specifically, the Utah State vs. Northwestern game in the Las Vegas Bowl was the first game in history where both smart tablets and coach and player helmet communications were used simultaneously.
The game was the first of 14 bowl contests in 2023 to use at least one such technology. Additionally, the Utes game was also part of a larger experiment to see if a more permanent decision regarding the implementation of modern communications in college football will be made.
The idea of using smart tablets and helmet communications may not sound all that advanced, but its testing represents a significant paradigm shift in college football.
While its professional counterpart, the NFL, has introduced all sorts of technology aimed at improving coach-player communication, the NCAA has remained silent for years. To put things into perspective, the NFL has been using some form of helmet communication between coaches and players since his 1994. The NCAA still uses hand signals and play calling poster boards in 2024.
What are coaches and players thinking?
At the university level, the topic of in-game communication technology is far more obsolete. For years, conferences and coaches have tried to convince the NCAA to implement a modern in-game communication system, without much success.
Sports journalist Chris Vannini noted the positive response to the latest coach-to-player communication technology tested during the Grambling State-Southern game.
“I'm not going to lie, it's [helmet speakers] It was perfect,” Grambling State quarterback Elijah Walker told Vanini. “It allowed me to be more of a coach on the field, incorporate plays faster and communicate better.”
“Instead of waiting for them to come to the sideline, you can make adjustments on the drive,” said former Southern interim head coach Jason Rollins, who called the defensive plays in the game. “It's like a walkie-talkie, and you hold down the button to make a call. … I loved everything about it.”
The Grambling State vs. Southern game will take place in 2021, and excitement over the possibility of a more modern system has only grown since then.
Following both uses of in-helmet communication on smart tablets, Utah State football head coach Kyle Whittingham continued his praise for the new technology.
“I think the tablet part in particular did very well,” Whittingham said. “We didn't really have a chance to use a tablet. We used communication and headsets, and I thought that would be a big plus as well.”
With the overwhelming success of extensive testing of advanced communications technologies, more permanent implementation appears to be on the horizon.
Moreover, the introduction of more advanced communication systems could not come at a better time. The college football world is currently on high alert due to rampant sign stealing.
Sign stealing
By now, most football fans have likely heard at least a hint of the University of Michigan football sign-stealing scandal. But for those who don't, the University of Michigan allegedly had its staff go to the next opponent's game, film the team's sideline, and record hand signals used by coaches. The scandal became one of the biggest storylines of the 2023 college football season, with the University of Michigan winning a national championship despite head coach Jim Harbaugh being suspended for three games for his involvement in the scandal. I accomplished it. The school is still under investigation by the NCAA.
What most fans don't know is how prevalent sign stealing is in the old-school world of college football.
An October 2023 article from ESPN sheds light on the prevalence of sign stealing in college football.
The article, based on interviews with anonymous Power 5 assistant coaches, explains that “sign stealing, legal or illegal, is incredibly prevalent in this industry.” “Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told ESPN in December that he estimates 75% of his teams do it in some form. NCAA rules do not directly prohibit signal stealing. We don't prohibit them, but we do prohibit them from using electronic devices to record signals and we prohibit them from scouting potential opponents off campus.”
Even if these statistics are close to the truth, they should immediately indicate the need for change. The pervasive nature of sign stealing in college football is one of the most obvious plights of the NCAA's antiquated communications system.
Fortunately, the NCAA has an easy solution. Integrating in-helmet communication technology similar to that used at the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl could completely thwart sign stealing.
Players and head coaches want it, and all that remains is for the NCAA to officially approve the technology.
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