If college football fans participated in a poll that would question whether they would like to see the field from the eye of, say, former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the response would most likely be an overwhelming “yes.”
Sports Video Innovations has been making these point-of-view cameras since 2013, most successfully with football. In 2014, the company partnered up with protective gear and helmet manufacturer Schutt Sports. The offspring of this enterprise was Schutt Vision, a camera-helmet duo that sees a lightweight, high-definition camera strap itself onto nose bumper of the helmet.
This technology, which allows for live feeds, was immediately picked up by the Arena Football League, and used in telecasts and in-arena footage. They fitted one offensive player and one defensive player with the helmet, and they have come through with some pretty cool shots.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, this type of video might be available for the 2016 college football season, as a number of parties are on board.
While this would initially be a positive move for fans of the game, college football coaches are also intrigued with using this technology for instructional purposes. Already, 30 NFL and college football teams use Schutt Vision, but only in practices.
All that is standing in the way of the technology being used in official games is an NCAA rule. Troy Calhoun, the head coach of Air Force and chairman of the NCAA Football Rules Committee, is an outspoken proponent of changing the rules to allow for Schutt Vision broadcasts as soon as possible.
“Hopefully we can get it done this year or next,” Calhoun said. “The technology is there. The cameras are so small it’s not like the old days where they were so heavy you had to worry about it. Think of the views that we can get. It’s something we can and should do.”