STARKVILLE — In the NFL, coaches have been relaying signals from the upstairs booth to players on the field via a headset communication system for 30 years. But only this year will a similar system be allowed at the highest levels of college football.
One player on the field will be able to wear a special helmet with an unbranded green dot on the back, indicating that the helmet has radio receiving capabilities. For Mississippi State, quarterback Blake Shapen and middle linebacker Stone Blanton will bear those responsibilities on offense and defense, respectively.
“It’s been great being able to use it all spring and have it all fall camp so that we get used to it and Blake understands the expectation between plays and understands the communication piece, along with Stone and (defensive coordinator) Coleman (Hutzler) on defense,” head coach Jeff Lebby said. “I love having the ability to communicate with the guys.”
Coach-to-player transmission will be cut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or at the snap, whichever comes first, according to a release from the National Football Foundation. If more than one green-dot helmet is on the field, it will result in a five-yard equipment violation penalty.
Although the headset communication is only being implemented at the FBS level, FCS teams playing an FBS team will be able to utilize it as well, so Eastern Kentucky will have access to the systems when the Colonels visit Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s been different, obviously, because I’ve never used it before, but it definitely helps out a lot,” Shapen said. “Coach Lebby helps me out, especially before (the play clock) hits 15 seconds.”
Players and coaches in all divisions of college football will also be able to watch in-game video on the sidelines and in the booth and locker room during the game using tablets, which will be restricted to the current game.
Teams can have up to 18 standard tablets active, and they will be available to all team personnel. Data, analytics and communications access will not be allowed.
“The iPads are the coolest thing. I love that,” Blanton said. “Having that on the sideline, being able to see exactly what went wrong or what went right so you can make an adjustment right then and there, it’s a lot easier when you’re not doing it from X’s and O’s on a board and everybody’s screaming at you. It’s a lot easier when you have the actual footage, you can see who it is. It’s not pointing figures at who did what. That’s the biggest change that I’m excited for.”
Other rule changes in college football this year include a two-minute warning before the end of each half, which the NFL has had for decades. Horse-collar tackles that occur inside the tackle box will now be penalized as a 15-yard personal foul (previously, players were only penalized for a horse-collar tackle outside the tackle box).
The headset communication theoretically helps coaches transmit play-calls faster, but in a loud stadium, players could have trouble hearing through the radio helmets, so the cards on the sideline containing symbols for different plays probably will not completely go away. Still, Blanton said the technology can be especially helpful against offenses that go fast and use tempo, as MSU’s does.
At Davis Wade Stadium, Blanton said he was unsure how the system will work when the Bulldogs are on defense and the cowbells are ringing at their loudest, creating one of the loudest environments in college football. Shapen said for the offense, issues with noise could occur on the road, with opposing fans trying to drown out MSU’s pre-snap communication.
“I love the fact that in-game adjustments, our guys are going to be able to see themselves in the moment,” Lebby said. “It’s really, really good and gives you a chance, if you coach it the right way, to get things fixed and be able to get to some different things.”
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