As with many topics, when it comes to technology, the NCAA is several years behind the typical 12-year-old college. So while it's possible that your children or grandchildren could hack your social media accounts with relative ease, the NCAA is currently in the process of arriving at some technological advancements for the 2024 football season. is. And Wake Forest football is joining the technology wave, too.
Don't get too excited. First downs are measured using a stick and metal chain, even though the ability to measure them digitally exists. And we will continue to put referees under the hood and watch replays for 4-5 minutes per case before making a reasonably conclusive call.
Hearing inside the helmet
But starting next season, teams will be able to use helmets specially equipped with speakers to allow coaches to talk to selected players on the field. And the coaching staff will have access to a limited number of tablets so they can review “game film” on the sideline instead of relying on still photos.
Follow the NFL [heck if you follow pee wee football] You've probably seen these devices in use for years. But this year marks the first time they will be available at the discretion of college football programs. They will test run the system during his 2023 bowl season and will now be able to use it in earnest at any school that wants the system. If you watch a professional game, you've probably seen quarterbacks cover the ear holes in their helmets with their hands to better hear the coach's voice through the helmet's speakers. Well, welcome to college football in 2024.
Schools are allowed to have up to six helmets with wireless speakers. Certainly one will be quarterback. Perhaps some teams will use it in center and others on defense. Communication is only for coaches to communicate with individual players, but of course it also includes coordinators and position coaches. Communication is one-way from coach to player.
I was asked not to take a photo of the Wake Forest helmet because there are several companies that offer helmets with speakers.
What does this change?
wake forest head coach dave clawson I mostly work on using technology. “Now sometimes you don't need to tell everything,” he told us. “It becomes harder and harder to pick on you. It becomes harder for teams to pick up your signals and know what you are running.”
He said everyone has seen quarterbacks use special helmets, but defenses also benefit from wearing helmets. “Now everyone doesn't need to see the signals, and they don't need to signal everything.”
This spring, Wake quarterback Hank Bachmeyer also used the system for the first time. His previous school, Louisana Technological University, did not manufacture bowls in 2023 and therefore did not participate in the experiment.
From a quarterback's perspective
The Demon Deacons used it at times during spring training and also used it during scrimmage play last weekend at Allegacy Stadium. “At first I didn't like it because of the adjustments,” Bachmeier told us this week. “You're used to looking at the sideline at stoplights. It's natural to look at the sidelines.”
But now he has been sold. “It's pretty amazing already. You can increase the tempo of the offense and communicate faster. It's more difficult for the defense to set up.” He also said it's like having a coach on the field with him. he added. “The coach directed a play. And he can say, 'Hey, in this play, remember if you make this expression or this change with that expression.'
Teams will also have access to up to 18 tablets in the booth and sideline. Coaches and players will have access to video footage as soon as the series concludes. “I'm talking to the quarterback and I say, 'Hey, I thought the post was open on that.'” And the quarterback says he saw the defender roll into it. Now you can watch the video and see for yourself,” Clawson said. The new device is expected to bring more certainty to information shared on the sidelines.
Tablets can only be used for video sharing/review. They cannot be connected to other devices and cannot perform data analysis or other communications through them. Wake hasn't gotten them yet, but Clawson said he plans to get them soon.
The deadline has passed by a long time
Clawson rarely takes chances. He spoke with NFL coaches who have been using this technology for years. As for the helmet communications, he said he was told that communications sometimes go out. So he's not completely abandoning signals from the sideline. He said he is prepared for all scenarios.
The irony of college football's new allowance is that it has been available for years. It usually took the NCAA forever to get there. “When you go to a high school game, there's a tent set up and you're watching video on TV,” Clawson said. “It seemed ridiculous that you guys had this technology and every level of football was using it except us.”
Marietta Valley High School in Southern California was certainly one of the high schools with video tents and televisions. “I used it in high school,” Bachmeier said of the TV and video setup. “You can see what's going on in real time and make adjustments. Instead of going to the phone on the sideline like in the 1970s and his '80s, the offense allows him to communicate with his coordinator. became.”
season of change
This has been a spring of big changes for Wake Forest football, so Clawson isn't completely ignoring the old ways on the subject. “If the system goes down or becomes unavailable, that’s just what I’ve been doing for the past 35 years.”
He believed that in the old system, part of coaching involved organizing what assistants were looking for and focusing on. And now new technology is doing some of that? “So there's going to be more coaches and less work for them to do,” he joked.
Post views: 1
