Helmet communications, tablets and a new Signing Day calendar coming to college football

Friday the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed new technology rules, ranging from helmet communication to tablets that coaches and players could use on the sidelines.

Next fall, FBS teams would have the option to use coach-to-player communications thru the helmet to one player on the field. The NFL has used this technology for over two decades, with the player having a green dot on his helmet to designate him as the receiver.

The communication from coach to player would be turned off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever happens first.

Two sources tell Dom Izzo that the helmet communication in the FCS is likely not going to happen until the 2025 season. The Rules Committee announced Friday that non-FBS conferences can submit an experimental proposal to the committee but it must be done by June 15.

Sources say that the biggest challenge for FCS schools for this fall may not be cost, but availability of helmets in such a short period of time.

What’s not clear is what happens in matchups between FBS and FCS schools like this year’s game between North Dakota State and the University of Colorado and the Iowa State - North Dakota matchup. According to the Athletic, one team can use it even if the opponent is not in the same game.

Also proposed is the ability for teams to use tablets on the sidelines. NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen said the Missouri Valley Football Conference presidents and athletic directors met Friday on this topic.

“There’s support for having tablets for this upcoming season.” Larsen said. “The big thing now is identifying what the cost would be.”

According to the proposal, teams could have up to 18 active tablets to use in the coaching booth, sideline and locker room. Larsen says they can’t be used for analytics or other ways to communicate. He added the challenge especially at the FCS level is what feed would be used, the broadcast feed or angles from the sidelines and end zone.

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

The other major change that has been proposed is adding a timeout when two minutes remain in the second and fourth quarters. Steve Shaw, the secretary-rules editor was quoted as saying; “that broadcasters are not getting an extra timeout. They will hold a second or fourth quarter break for the two-minute warning and it will avoid having back to back timeouts late in the half.”

This would be the second significant change to college football timing rules is as many years. Last season, the rules changed that the game clock would not be stopped after picking up a first down outside of the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters.

Games moved at a much brisker pace, for example, the NDSU - South Dakota regular season game in Fargo last year was played in just two hours and 42 minutes.

Another change is to permanently allow head coaches to conduct interviews with broadcast partners after the first and third quarters. This was tried as an experiment last season.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel needs to approve these changes, which many see a rubber stamp, on April 18.

SIGNING DAY CHANGES

After five years of having an early signing period for high school football players to make their college commitments official in the middle of December, that will be radically different starting this football season.

This topic has been a hot one for college football coaches and commissioners with the upcoming College Football Playoff being expanded to 12 teams and the games starting the third week of December, running right into when Signing Day currently is on the calendar.

The Athletic is reporting a brand new calendar that will be voted on by the Division I commissioners this coming Wednesday.

The calendar will be as follows:

The caveat would be that the summer signing period wouldn’t start until the summer of 2025, but the December signing would take effect later this year if approved.

Izzo asked NDSU head coach Tim Polasek about the potential of moving Signing Day earlier this winter.

“Most kids at the Big Ten level are ready to sign after they take their junior day visits in June. We've minimally maximized June as far as official visit time. I think the idea of the early signing day is good, but how many people at the FCS level; at the mid major level can pour in a lot of money to official visits in June to where families feel comfortable.

I'm in favor of that, but I'm also in favor of another signing date. And then maybe even another signing period; give these guys multiple opportunities for us to work through the recruiting process and roster management.” Polasek said.

Over the past four recruiting classes, NDSU has had players commit in March, April and May, but would have to wait until December to sign. Under this new calendar, they could now sign in June.