MSU Football's Jordan Hall Talks Implementation of New NCAA Rule

The NCAA will allow one-way helmet communication systems. Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall said it is "very beneficial."

Michael France

The NCAA's new rule allowing helmet communication in the wake of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal will add a new wrinkle to how teams game plan. Each team will be allowed one player to wear a helmet radio on each side of the ball. Communications will be cut off 15 seconds before the play begins.

For offense, it's easy. The quarterback is the obvious choice to wear the wired-up helmet. That is the way it has been done since the invention of the helmet radio. The position nearly requires it. On defense, it gets trickier. Typically, the middle linebacker will wear the radio in the NFL.

Many Michigan State faithful would suspect the helmet comms would go to a Spartan linebacker. Jordan Hall said it will be "very beneficial."

"Just being able to maybe get some calls a little bit quicker, get some things corrected in a practice setting where some things you wouldn't get corrected until maybe after practice," Hall told reporters on Monday. "But being able to have Coach [Joe] Rossi in my ear telling me, 'You should've did this on this play,' or 'This could have been better,' or 'Watch out for this,' and stuff like that has been really beneficial to my growth."

For college defensive coordinators, it isn't as simple giving the helmet to a linebacker. Coach Rossi said it would take time to figure out which position or player would get the communications.

"It's going to be who's more in the middle of the defense, so that's going to be linebackers and safeties," Rossi said on Thursday. "And I'm just telling you that we're rotating that through. We'll ultimately make a decision on who it's going to be a little bit later. I'm still feeling it out."

Veteran linebacker Cal Haladay said that multiple linebackers had worn the helmet so far in practice.

"I had [the helmet communication] in the spring, but they have a different system now," Haladay had said. "I'm assuming I'll get it at some point during camp ... [Jordan Turner], [Jordan Hall], and I think Marcellius [Pulliam] did? I think those three guys were the ones that had it [today]. Those were the guys that were getting calls from the sideline."

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