Sideline technology changing this fall

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CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer was able to walk off the field at Starkville (Miss.) High School and have an iPad in his hands as soon as he got to the sideline.

The ability to immediately review game film between series was an advantage.

An advantage that’s now coming to Memorial Stadium this fall after the NCAA approved both the use of tablets on the sideline and in-helmet communication between coaches and players. Welcome to 2024, college football.

“I remember after every series the whole time I’m watching each play, watching each look and seeing what we can do,” Altmyer said about using a tablet on the sideline in high school.

“It’s definitely an advantage for us to be able to see our formations and how they match up with each defense. It’s definitely a help to be able to make in-game adjustments for our coaches.

“It will be a help for me, too. Sometimes, I would come off the field last year and be like, ‘Man, I don’t know what I saw there. I didn’t see it clearly.’ Well, within a second’s notice you’ll be able to clear that up and move on. That will be cool.”

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the ability to use video on the sideline was a “game changer.”

What used to have to wait for after the game will now be available at the fingertips of players and coaches as soon as it happens.

A sentiment Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. shared leading up to the season opener at 8 p.m. Thursday against Eastern Illinois. The Illini got a few test runs of using the tablets in their two scrimmages and mock game during training camp. While Lunney said the implementation wasn’t as cut and dried as the in-helmet communication, he saw the benefit of having that ability.

“It’s probably going to be more subjective to team interpretation about how they’re used and how they’re implemented,” Lunney said. “It’s going to be interesting to go through a game with it. I know our players really gravitate to it. They like that immediate feedback.

“Us, as coaches, it gives us more defined feedback about what’s happening and what we’re seeing. But at the end of the day, corrections still need to be made verbally. Visually, that’s a nice supplement for us and it’s certainly a tool we’re going to try and use to our advantage.”

Lunney’s counterpart on the Illinois defense is a little bit less enthusiastic about tablet usage on the sideline. Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry understands the value of the technology, but doesn’t want to see them used as a crutch.

“I like the tablets, but in a sense, the tablets can almost kind of hinder you in some facets,” Henry said. “Guys come off to the sideline and that’s all they want to do is look at it as opposed to what could have potentially happened. They want to see their sack or they want to see their big hit or whatever. It’s like, ‘Dude, we aren’t doing it for that. We’re doing it to make corrections on certain things.’”

Illinois outside linebacker Seth Coleman said Henry still emphasized the importance of meeting as a position group between series to discuss what happened on the field. Why certain calls and coverages worked. What could have happened if they didn’t. But the tablets provide a different level of insight — and immediacy — that is useful.

“Pass-rush wise, if I see something with (an offensive lineman’s) hands or his stance, I can look at that,” Coleman said. “We’re going to see it in film, but maybe it’s a different key on a Saturday or Friday night I haven’t seen before.”