BYU Football Finding Benefits From New Tablets, Helmet Communication

PROVO, Utah— College football teams can use tablets on the sidelines for in-game coaching this season.

Players can also wear helmet communication devices that allow coaches to speak to the designated player up to the 15-second mark on the play clock.

It’s two of the many changes in college football for the 2024 season. Like everyone else, BYU football is embracing the new technology.

Big 12 teams will have Microsoft Surface tablets

The Big 12 Conference partnered with Microsoft, so all 16 teams in the league, including BYU, will have up to 18 Surface tablets available to the staff on game day.

Brett Yormark announces that the Big 12 Conference is partnering with Microsoft to provide tablets on the field and in the booth for the 2024 football season.

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) July 9, 2024

Other Power Four leagues, ACC, Big Ten, and SEC, have partnered with Apple to use iPads.

The NFL has been using Microsoft Surface tablets on the sidelines since 2013.

With Microsoft Surface tablets, Big 12 coaches will get video of plays from an All-22 view and TV angle immediately after a play concludes. Coaches can draw and illustrate on the tablets to provide feedback to players.

BYU football is embracing the new communication

“That’s been so helpful,” said BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake on having tablets on the sideline during practice.

“Being able to have the guys come off the field, normally, we’d have to, ‘Hey, on play two, you did this…,’ now it’s just ‘Go watch it.’ And then they’ll go watch it, and they’ll see it. Then they’ll come and tell us, “Yeah, I see what I did.’ It’s nice to teach yourself and see it from the film.”

Sitake also sees that it has helped his players “grasp the scheme a lot quicker,” but he notes that this is probably the sentiment of every team entering the 2024 season.

Working tablets into workflows on game day is a new wrinkle for coaches. BYU had two tests inside LaVell Edwards Stadium to get a feel for it, but the real test will be on Saturday against Southern Illinois in the season opener.

“We do have a process that we’re going to implement in between series to try to take advantage of that,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick on utilizing the tablets. “Obviously, everybody’s going to do that. We’ve had a couple of trial runs in scrimmages, but it still remains to be seen. We might have to tweak that process as we get actual game experience with the TV timeouts, and the flow of a real college football game is hard to simulate in a scrimmage.

“But it has been really useful out here at practice and in our scrimmages, and I’m looking forward to it in games.”

First-year BYU coach, Ex-NFL assistant sees value in tablets

BYU does have one coach who has experience using tablets during a game. That’s first-year tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride.

Gilbride is a former NFL assistant with the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers. He sees value in tablets now having a role on the college gridiron.

“I’m excited about it. It’s such a great tool to quickly explain yourself based on a look that you can show your player visually,” Gilbride said. “Then, describe what went wrong, why he did it well, or whatever the case may be. Or show the next guy, like, ‘Hey, this is why we do this.’ So it’s a really good tool that can help on the sideline.”

For helmet communication, BYU’s quarterbacks and MIKE linebackers will wear headsets inside their helmets.

So far, there have been no complaints from coaches on that side. BYU has used helmet communication with designated players since spring practices. Tablets were implemented during week two of fall camp.

“That seems pretty flawless right now, and I don’t think there’s a lot to that,” said BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill about helmet communication.

The first in-game run for BYU with the new communication is Saturday against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

BYU vs. Southern Illinois

Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024

Kickoff: 6 p.m. (MT)

TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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