Ryan Walters Jokingly Takes Credit for College Football's Helmet Communication Rule

College football is allowing in-helmet communications for the 2024 season. Purdue coach Ryan Walters jokingly took credit for that during his radio show.

Dustin Schutte | Aug 30, 2024

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Purdue Boilermakers

If college football coaches want to thank anyone for the implementation of the new in-helmet communication rule, those cards can be addressed to Ryan Walters. OK, maybe not, but the second-year Purdue coach did make a joke about his impact on the new rule.

Thursday night, Walters held his first radio show of the 2024 college football season. While most of the conversation was geared towards Purdue's first opponent — Indiana State — Walters was asked about some of the new rule changes by host and Boilermaker football play-by-play broadcaster Tim Newton.

After Walters explained the specifics of the in-helmet communication, Newton said, "And that, by the way, all stemmed from some sign-stealing that went on," referring to the scandal involving Michigan and former staffer Connor Stalions.

"I think it was an interview here that catapulted (the conversation)," Walters said, laughing. "Woke up the next morning and I was on the ticker. I was like, 'Whoa, what's going on?' I was just telling the truth."

Last season, before Purdue's Nov. 4 showdown vs. Michigan in Ann Arbor, Walters claimed that the school had evidence that individuals with connections to the Wolverines staff had infiltrated Ross-Ade Stadium.

"It's unfortunate. What's crazy is they aren't allegations. It happened," he said. "There's video evidence. There's ticket purchases and sales that you can track back. We know for a fact that they were at a number of our games."

Until this year, college football programs were unable to utilize in-helmet communications, relying solely on signals. But the controversy surrounding Michigan's program prompted the college football rules committee to make a change in that regard.

So, is Walters actually taking credit for the rule change? No. But his comments last November certainly caught the attention of the college football world a year ago.

Rules for in-helmet communication

Since the in-helmet communication is new to college football in 2024, here's how it works, per the NCAA rulebook:

Only one (1) player may be on the field per team at a time with radio
receiving capability and the player must be identified by an unbranded
green dot on the back midline of the helmet.
Coach-to-player communications will be shut off when the play clock reaches 15 seconds or at the snap, whichever comes first, and will remain off throughout the down. When the play clock is reset to 25/40, the communications will be restored. If more than one green dot helmet per team is detected on the field by the game officials, the result is a live ball 5-yard equipment violation penalty, and this penalty initiates a conference review.
On free kick plays, the coach-to-player communications will not be in effect. There is no limitation to the number of green dot helmets for either team during free kick plays.

Rules for in-helmet communication

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