Miami Hurricanes sideline will be transformed by technology alliance between the ACC and Apple

When you watch NFL football games, it is commonplace to see players and coaches watching replays on I Pads to try to correct mistakes or identify tendencies on the field.

Now the ACC has partnered with Apple to bring the technology to the sidelines this season. All 17 ACC football programs will have access to conference-provided iPad Pro and iPad Air models to immediately view video playback, elevating on field performance.

In April, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the use of video for in-game evaluation. The large multi-touch display of iPad, combined with its performance and portability, make it the ideal solution for coaches and student-athletes to watch film in-game in an efficient and timely manner. The video provided to each team’s sideline will include the broadcast feed and camera angles from the coach’s sideline and coach’s end zone.

“The ACC continues its commitment in embracing the use of technology to elevate the performance of our student-athletes, teams, officials, and more,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “We are proud to advance the sport of football and build upon our positive experiences over the last two years of testing in men’s and women’s basketball. Between our state-of-the-art ACC Game Day Operations Center, being at the forefront of testing the technology in basketball and with this year’s integration in football, we are proud of our unparalleled prioritization of technology and the positive impact it will have for our league.”

“We’re thrilled the ACC is utilizing iPad, as its unique capabilities and versatility make it the ideal solution to support coaches and student-athletes,” said Scott Brodrick, Apple’s Worldwide iPad Product Marketing. “With an unrivaled combination of advanced displays, powerful performance, portability, fast connectivity, all day battery life and versatile accessories, iPad will let coaches and players make in-game adjustments and empower athletes to compete at the highest level.”

This kind of technology has been around on NFL sidelines since 2014 when the league partnered with Microsoft. Before then, teams had printers on their sideline to produce black-and-white snapshots, transmitted via fiber optic cables and quickly assembled in binders by team “runners” for coaches and players to view. 

To this day, all teams have sideline access to league-provided, specially configured Microsoft Surface tablets, on which they receive high-resolution color images almost instantaneously. 

The Sideline Viewing System app lets coaches zoom in, make annotations, review plays and tag ‘favorites’ for later review. As with the old system — but in a more immediate, flexible and efficient way — teams use the information to adjust play-calling and instruct their players as the game unfolds. Coaches and players can more easily look at plays from earlier in the game. And they get access to the video and photos at least 30 seconds faster, which can prove invaluable for making adjustments on the fly.

This will also be the first season where coordinators can communicate with players on the field.