Count Dan Lanning among the growing list of FBS coaches in favor of college football using in-helmet communication between the sideline and players similar to that in the NFL.
The increased use of technology has been an offseason talking point in college football for more than a decade and became a national issue last week following the NCAA’s investigation into the sign-stealing scheme of Michigan. One of the games that Michigan analyst Connor Stalions has purchased tickets for over the past three seasons was for last season’s matchup between then-No. 6 Oregon and No. 25 Washington, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday.
“I haven’t played in the NFL, so I can’t necessarily speak to how it works,” Lanning said. “I’m sure it would help from a signal standpoint. Ultimately, you will always need to have signals that you are communicating with each other. Even if one person is on the ground and receives the call, they will have to somehow relay that call to everyone, unless we go out of the group at every moment, which is not probably not the reality in college football.
NFL quarterbacks have had speakers inside their helmets to hear plays called from the sideline since 1994, a practice that expanded in 2008 to include a defensive player – denoted by a green dot on his helmet. The radio transmission is deactivated with 15 seconds left on the game clock in the NFL.
Bringing similar in-helmet communication and additional secondary technology to view still images, as the NFL has long used, has been discussed at various levels of college football for years, but has not did not gain enough support to be adopted. However, the helmet’s built-in speakers are expected to be tested at some bowl games this year, according to The Athletic and Associated Press.
“I’m sure it’s an adjustment, but no matter what you get, you still have to go and you still have a long way to go,” Ducks quarterback Bo Nix said. “I guess they can’t make the throws and run for you. I think it has different pros and cons that you can worry about, but at the same time there are pros and cons to signals and communication as well. Whichever method you choose, it will be beneficial and will also have disadvantages.
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