CHAPEL HILL - Across college football in week one, the institution of the two-minute timeout was the most noticeable change for fans. For the players on the field, however, the switch to in-helmet communication was the biggest adjustment.
In April, the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the use of coach-to-player communication via the helmet of one player on the field. On offense, this is typically the quarterback, and, on defense, the linebacker.
Last Thursday’s clash with Minnesota marked North Carolina’s first in-game use of the helmet communication, as Max Johnson, and, eventually, Conner Harrell were in charge of relaying play calls to the Tar Heel offense.
“The only thing I was worried about [was] would they be able to hear with a crowd and all that because we hadn’t really been in that atmosphere with it,” Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey said Monday uring his weekly press conference. “We didn’t have any issues. I thought we handled that pretty well.”
Neither quarterback for UNC experienced difficulty with the technology, according to Lindsey. To prepare for an injury or illness, similar to the situation against the Golden Gophers, the player donning the helmet rotates in practice, a strategy implemented in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
For Defensive Coordinator Geoff Collins and the Tar Heel defense, Power Echols was in charge of commanding the unit, his involvement with the helmet communication reminding him of the NFL.
“It’s just like the NFL for real in terms of you have a green dot [on your helmet] and they can talk to you for 15 seconds before the snap and just give you keys, tips, and reminders about personnel and what you’re going to see out there,” Echols said following UNC's 19-17 win in Minneapolis. “It’s a help, [so] that you can communicate checks and stuff with your teammates.”
Collins echoed Echols’ sentiment, and discussed how they are working to ease the transition from sideline signals to helmet communication by still using old signaling techniques.
“We’re still having to use the full gamut of our signal mechanisms, the boards, the wristbands, and multiple signals for calls,” said Collins. “The headset communication was awesome, and the backers were echoing the calls to the D-line so we were able to convey some key information before the snap to help them play at a high level.”
Although the goal is to communicate each play through a player’s helmet, it’s not always at each team’s disposal.
UNC Coach Mack Brown referenced Saturday’s matchup between Western Kentucky and Alabama, where the Hilltoppers experienced technical issues when trying to call in plays. This forced both teams to revert back to its previous system of relaying signals from the sidelines, something the Tar Heels prepare for in practice, by both calling in plays and using signals.
“More than anything we still signal, so the fact that we all thought this would do away with our signaling issues [and] stealing signals, it doesn’t,” said Brown. "You still have to signal to receivers anyway so now you just got your signaling for everybody, so you’ll signal and talk to the quarterback in practice.”
While Echols will continue wearing the designated helmet, Harrell will get the full experience on Saturday, as UNC welcomes Charlotte into Kenan Memorial Stadium at 3:30 pm
