The 2024 college football season may see a substantial influence from the two big technology advancements that the ACC has approved. The coaches in the league overwhelmingly agreed to bring coach-to-player communication into the play-calling process in order to expedite it. They also agreed that better video access—such as sideline tablets—should be used for in-game modifications.
Authorization from the NCAA is required for these changes to be implemented. The ACC and any other conference that wishes to follow suit can proceed with the proposed modifications when the NCAA Football Rules Committee convenes later this month to vote on any potential modifications to game-day operations.
The suspected sign-stealing plan by Michigan that came to light during the 2023 season in particular made in-helmet communication a hot topic. Teams were allowed to use helmet-to-player communications between coaches and players during bowl season as a trial run by the NCAA Rules Committee.
This has long been supported by a number of well-known individuals that coaches and players should have direct communication, just as the NFL does.
“If you polled coaches and said, ‘What is your No. 1 technology desire?’ it would be coach-to-player communications,”The rules committee’s secretary-editor, Steve Shaw, told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd in October.
Now, teams who choose not to huddle—a tendency that is growing as college football games get shorter—signal plays from the sidelines using a big cardboard sign or by hand. Sign-stealing is made nearly impossible by radio-based helmet communications, but it does allow opposing teams to deduce what certain signals may mean as the game goes on, which is permitted by NCAA rules. Additionally, it would increase team play pace and efficiency—a point of emphasis that is evident for the NCAA considering the recent substantial modifications it made to the game-clock systems for college football.