Kentucky Football Preparing for Pitfalls of New Technology

New technology is great until it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to work. That is the approach the Kentucky football program is taking before college football gets significant technology upgrades for the 2024 season.

Michigan’s intricate spying scandal with Connor Stalions motivated college football brass to finally implement radio technology into helmets. For years, NFL offensive coordinators called plays by speaking directly to quarterbacks through their headsets, while college teams relied on hand signals to get the play-call onto the field.

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan believes the additional technology can be a game-changer for the Cats, who want to play faster in his pro-style scheme this fall. However, he’s not completely abandoning the system of hand signals he used for years.

“I think it’ll be it’ll be critical,” Hamdan told On3’s Andy Staples. “I think the challenge for us right now, to be quite honest, is if that goes in and out during the game. Because as you know, it’s a huge advantage for us to be able to directly get the play calls to the quarterbacks, to give them the one or two things we want them to focus on on that play. But at the same point, if those do go off in a game, that they’re still focused, they still know the signals, they’ve got that ability to still operate it.”

There’s also one big difference between college and the NFL. Outside of a few NFL stadiums, it’s significantly louder for college football teams on the road. Even if the helmet radios work, there’s no guarantee Brock Vandagriff will be able to hear Bush Hamdan call the play.

“Everything you’re talking about is a wait-and-see. Just like anything in college football over the last 5-10 years, you got to adjust and you got to adapt. I think the critical thing for us again is, we’re going to certainly spend time, every third or fourth practice acting like we don’t have it, so we’re ready for that. I think that’s critical,” he said. “But from an operation standpoint, again, everything’s smooth in the spring as you guys know, but when live bullets start going, you know we’ll have to be ready to go.”

The last piece of the equation is often overlooked. This year iPad technology will be used on the sidelines, allowing coaches to show players videos of what’s happening on the field. It can be a game-changer, but the technology is only as good as how it’s used. That’s the focus this offseason for Hamdan, who must be able to correctly implement how Kentucky will use iPads on the sidelines while he coaches from the pressbox.

“The critical thing is how we get that information, how we relay it to the players, and also do a great job of relaying the information that we have always been relaying from staff member to staff member with guys up in the box and guys on the field. That’s going to be the challenge,” said Hamdan.

Clear and concise communication is key to Kentucky’s offensive success as the Wildcats implement new technology this fall.

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