Could New In-Helmet Communication System Help Upgrade Steve Sarkisian's Offense?

Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian spoke at SEC Media Days about the new in-helmet communication system introduced in April by the NCAA

Jul 17, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

If Texas fans weren't already sold on the hiring of head coach Steve Sarkisian after a College Football Playoff appearance, it's likely they won't be turned anytime soon. But as the SEC Media Days have progressed and eventually come to a halt, it's clear that the Longhorns have one of the best minds in the game on their sideline week in and week out.

Despite three straight top-five recruiting classes, Sarkisian was always brought in to be an offensive guru, and that seemed to pay off in 2023 when the Longhorns possessed the 11th-best scoring and seventh-best yardage offense in the nation. But in a generation of change in college football, it's becoming more and more apparent what an asset Sarkisian's skillset is.

In April of this year, the NCAA approved a rule allowing for in-helmet communication between the coach and a singular player on each side of the ball, a designated player on the defense and the quarterback on offense. Luckily for the Longhorns, Sarkisian has prior experience with helmet communication, something that was already present in the NFL when he was in charge of a top-10 Atlanta Falcons offense from 2017-18.

"Having spent some time in the NFL and calling plays in the NFL, you can really communicate with the quarterback and sometimes just voice inflection from the coach helps the quarterback understand the importance of something in a play," Sarkisian said about the difference between having the ability to use his voice to communicate.

Sep 23, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian greets wide receiver Calvin Ridley (18) in the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Sarkisian also added his opinion on a common criticism of the new system, that it would drastically help up-tempo offenses, something a team like Texas employs often throughout a game.

"Yes, I can talk to the quarterback, but how do I get the receivers in alignment and everybody still knowing those plays?" Sarkisian said. "For a team like us, whose very multiple, multiple personnel groupings, formations, motion shifts. Sometimes we go fast, sometimes we huddle, sometimes we're somewhere in between."

The complex and motion-heavy Texas offense that the Longhorn fans have come to know and love in his short tenure may have too many moving parts for helmet communication to solely take over signaling, but there will be an upper hand in having a coach who has already experienced playcalling in that fashion.

There are zero head coaches on Texas' schedule in 2024 that have experience calling offenses in the NFL, which makes Sarkisian's offense and style of play even scarier for opposing defensive coordinators.

" I also think there's a real challenge defensively because just to think that one player on defense has a headset in, you still have to get that call to all 11 players on the field," Sarkisian said. "And if a team's going with tempo, that's going to be difficult to do."

Sarkisian's use of multiple personnel groups and speed across the board has already tortured Big 12 schools like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Kansas, and the SEC needs to be ready for what's to come with third-year starter Quinn Ewers and Sarkisian able to communicate with their voices after each play.

With a whole off-season to perfect the behind-the-scenes communication and play-calling, expect Texas to abuse the up-tempo and motion game to exploit defenses in the new age of college football play-calling.