by Malcolm Butler
In-game communication just got a little easier in college football.
The NCAA’s football oversight committee approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communication starting this year. The technology is similar to what the NFL utilizes.
And according to Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie, he thinks it will have a direct impact, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
“I think you have a chance to play a little faster in terms of the communication with the quarterback,” said Cumbie.”I think you have to have a lot of awareness when you are talking to the quarterbacks and the linebackers. How much information is too much information, and what information helps you … You don’t want to cloud their minds on the field.”
Only one player for each team will be permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. A green dot on the back of the helmet will be used to identify that player.
Now it’s a matter of coaches and players across the country getting comfortable with it.
“We are going to use it every day in drills when we are calling plays even if its just the script in order to get comfortable with it,” said Cumbie. “We will use it in walk-throughs and in team portion of practice just so everybody can get comfortable with it every single day.
“Myself. The quarterbacks. Coach (Jeremiah Johnson). The linebackers. Just to make sure it’s not something we are thinking about on gameday. But it’s more of a reaction. When are you communicating with the quarterback and when you aren’t. There are little nuances with this that you have to get used to.”
Tech quarterback Jack Turner said he believes the system is beneficial but agrees with Cumbie on making sure it’s not a matter of information overload.
“One thing that we have talked about is just how much we will communicate,” said Turner, who is currently the odds-on-favorite to be the Bulldogs starting signal caller this year. “We got to test it a little bit in the spring, but it’s a little different going into a game.
“You have prepped for a team. What is the information that coach wants to relay to me because you can do too much with it where it clouds your brain and you are thinking about too much. What’s the right amount of communication giving me the play and maybe a little more information and going from there.”
The communication from the coach to the player will be turned off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first. It is cut back on as soon the play is over.
As a former quarterback himself, Cumbie believes he would have liked the new system as a player.
“I think just from an operations standpoint as a quarterback you aren’t looking over to the sideline,” said Cumbie. “I think you are always looking forward. I’m not having to look find the defense. I am looking at the safeties now. I’m looking at the linebackers now. I’m looking at the defense now as I hear the (call). So I think just from an operations standpoint players will like it a lot more.”
The rules committee had been moving toward coach-to-player communication in recent years, but it was slow to be implement due to financial concerns, mainly whether every school could afford to do it in an equitable way.
The new rule still allows teams to choose to signal in plays.
Asked if he felt the new system benefited one side of the ball over the year, Cumbie said he still isn’t sure.
“I’m going to have to go through it more to be able to answer that,” said Cumbie. “On offense I think it’s great for us. You don’t have to worry as much about your signals getting stolen. That’s the biggest thing I’m excited about. You spend a lot of your bandwidth trying to figure out how many signal guys …what’s the signal.
“But you still have to have that backup plan in case the system goes out and you have to go back to signaling.”
