IRVING, Texas — Football teams within the Big 12 conference have received a significant update aimed at securing communication between coaches and players via their helmets.
The conference announced on Thursday that no games were affected by a vulnerability first discovered during an SEC matchup in September. Teams across all Power 4 conferences utilize the same communication systems.
According to Big 12 officials, all member institutions can continue to utilize technology from GSC, the company currently in use, or they may opt for similar solutions provided by CoachComm.
Earlier this year, the NCAA sanctioned direct communication from coaches to players through helmets, a practice that has been commonplace in NFL games for several seasons.
Coaches can speak to players—typically the quarterback on offensive plays and a linebacker on defensive duties—by pressing a button to enable the communication. It automatically terminates 15 seconds before the clock runs out in the game.
Both the SEC and Big Ten conferences have previously stated that they are not aware of any games that were compromised due to this issue.