August 21, 2024

CFB Insider

The Year of Change

If Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy had his way, the game of college football would be a massive interconnected communication experience for both sides of the ball.

“They didn’t go with my plan. I said they should put five coach comm systems in helmets on offense and five coach comm systems on defense” the Oklahoma State coach quipped during Big 12 Media Days.

It was at that point that I turned to Gundy’s Director of Football Business Kenyatta Wright, who I spent a ton of time with that day…and a former New York Jet.

“Man, can you imagine Belichick with five defensive players with coach comms in their helmets?”

So, yeah, college football has changed off the field in 2024. There’s a 12 team playoff now. There’s now two universities in California that are in the ACC. There are two California universities and two in the Pac Northwest that are in the midwestern-dominated Big Ten. Finally, the Big 12 added four former Pac-12 schools, which is why the ever growing Big 12 had its Media Days in Vegas.

But, on the field, there are going to be changes as well, and two major changes were on display here in Vegas, that will bring the college game closer to the NFL game. First, though, we have to discuss a funeral. This funeral will be for the five GA (graduate assistant) coaches wearing different colored coaching outfits madly signaling plays to its offense. This funeral also includes the death of the four square, uniquely labeled picture cards that college offenses used. Also, included in this funeral is the death of the big drapery that covered the coaches signaling plays to its quarterback/offense.

RIP to all. I mean, there won’t be any more signal controversies like the one that emerged in Ann Arbor last year, correct? So, I guess we can have a funeral for the young GA’s traveling to other games and filming an opponent’s signals too. Years ago, when I was at the Bear Bryant Award ceremony, talking to the great coaches of the game, I remember one saying to me “Well, (team redacted) got all the way to the championship game by stealing signs all year.” So, it was time to send those aspects of college football to their timely death.

Those things are no longer seen at the NFL level because of the coach comm system utilized by the 32 teams in the NFL. Now, finally, college football is going to use the same equipment. An offense’s play caller can now talk to his QB as all NFL teams can do. No more changing signals. Shoot, no more signals, period. Just talk in the helmet and let’s rock.

“I’m curious how this is going to go,” Gundy said during his media session. The Cowboys head coach was FOR the new system, but wonders how it will all transpire given the differences in offensive systems to the NFL.

The other change is one that the NFL made years ago. As I walked near the radio row, I just happened to see a Microsoft Surface station with some media members picking up the Surfaces and staring at them longingly. When I saw it, I didn’t react because I’m so used to seeing that blue box in our offices on a daily basis as they’re used for all Texans games. Then, it hit me, oh man, Surface sideline usage is all new for these Big 12 universities (and all schools, honestly). One advantage the college coaches are going to have over the NFL, though, is that the schools can use video on the sideline. I spoke to the DV Sports rep on site and we had a great discussion on that aspect and how and why that’s different from the NFL, a league that does NOT use video on their Surfaces during the game.

2024 is going to be a weird, feeling out process for many, for many reasons, but, without question, the big winners are the IT departments everywhere. Technology has exploded in the game of football but it took college football a while to figure it all out. They seemingly got there just in time for The Year of Change in college ball.