Report: Big 12 Teams to Have Helmet Comms Fixed After Concerns System Was Compromised

Amid questions about the integrity of coach-to-player in-game communication systems being used in Power 4 college football games this season, the Big 12 is reportedly taking steps to provide encryption and more protection.

Bruce Feldman, Sam Khan Jr., Justin Williams and Ralph Russo of The Athletic and ESPN's Max Olson reported Wednesday the conference instructed its teams to send their helmet communication devices to GSC, which is the company that provides the system, to receive a software update that encrypts the communication.

The communications have happened on unencrypted frequencies thus far, meaning they could have been accessible to anyone with a scanner and the ability to locate the correct frequencies.

Olson reported Texas Tech specifically requested a report from the Big 12 regarding games against TCU and Baylor out of fear they may have been compromised.

The Red Raiders lost both games.

"We've got to have a game whose integrity is not questionable in any way on a Saturday afternoon," Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said. "We owe it to the 120 young men on our football team to ensure that happens, that it's a game of fair competition and the same set of rules are enforced."

The integrity of college football games was a major topic of discussion last season when Michigan won the national championship despite being embroiled in a sign-stealing controversy that is still being investigated by the NCAA and could lead to penalties.

In the aftermath of that scandal, this has been the first season that coach-to-player helmet communications and tablets have been allowed in FBS even though such practices occur in the NFL.

However, as Olson noted, a frequency coordinator setting up for a September game between Arkansas and Texas A&M discovered the communications were unencrypted and notified the SEC.

"We have been aware of the issue and have stayed in communication with GSC and our colleague conferences as well as our schools," the SEC said Wednesday in a statement. "We are not aware of any instances of the system being compromised during games. GSC has developed an update to resolve the issue and we have made our schools aware of their ability to update their systems at a time of their choosing."

As for the Big Ten and ACC, there have been no reported issues or teams that have raised concerns with the conference offices.

It should be noted one Big 12 chief of staff wasn't particularly concerned and said, "There's no real advantage. One, you're speaking a different language. Two, if you think you'd be able to enact in real time what they say and try to do it on the field, you're delusional. You're just being your stereotypical paranoid football coach. You can't relay it to the kids fast enough."

Olson called creating an advantage from gaining access to these communications in real time "a much more challenging task than the sideline signal stealing" that previously made headlines.

The Big 12 expects the software updates to be in place and returned to teams in time for Saturday's slate of games.