The NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed multiple changes on Friday, including the adoption of a player-to-coach helmet communications system, the use of tablets on the sideline and in the halftime locker room and a two-minute warning.
30 years after the NFL approved of the system, and months after Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to the public eye, college football will adopt the communication system which will be very similar to how the NFL does it. It will reduce the need for teams to give signs from the sideline and reduce the risk of having signs stolen.
Only one member of the team will be able to have a listening device in their helmet and with 15 seconds left on the play clock the device’s capabilities will end, a cutoff time also used by the NFL.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said in October he would like to move to the helmet communications system, saying he liked it when he was on an NFL sideline.
“It doesn’t really matter right now,” Day said. “What matters is playing this game. But we should definitely consider that, because it would certainly help.”
The electronic tablets would be able to be used on the sideline and in the locker room to review in-game video replays, and a team would be allowed to have up to 18 of them between the coaching booth, sideline and locker room.
The two-minute warning would also work similarly to how it does in the NFL, working as a break at the two-minute mark of each half.
Two more rules changes were proposed as well. There would be warnings for uniforms violations followed by a timeout being charged upon subsequent offenses from any member of that team. If the violating team is out of timeouts, a 5-yard penalty would be given.
Another proposal was that a horse-collar tackle inside the tackle box would result in a 15-yard penalty.
The new rule changes, if approved, would be in place for the 2024-25 college football season.
