North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

FCS North Dakota State will use in-helmet comms vs. Colorado

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Aug 29, 2024 5:58 PM ET

College football's Week 1 kicks off Thursday night and one notable matchup is FCS North Dakota State visiting FBS Colorado.

The NCAA updated its rules this season to allow in-helmet communications during games for FBS schools. FCS schools will still be limited to verbal and sign-based communication, except in rare cases.

One of those instances will be Thursday night's game. FCS teams will be allowed to use in-helmet communications when playing FBS opponents.

Big Ten Network's Guy Haberman pointed out on X that North Dakota State decided to spend the cash to use the new communication system against Colorado.

Little nugget on NDSU @ Colorado on Thursday night...

The FCS level doesn't have helmet communications but teams were allowed to do it when they play a FBS team.

That means they have to make the full investment in the system just for 1 game.

North Dakota St spent the money.
— Guy Haberman (@GuyHaberman) August 28, 2024

North Dakota State's trip to Boulder will be the only time this season it can use the new system, but the investment was essentially funded by Colorado, which is reportedly paying the FCS school $700,000 to play them.

Bison offensive coordinator Jake Landry told reporters on Aug. 1 that the team has been practicing with the new system all of fall camp, saying "there's going to be a learning curve."

Fun thing to watch for with @NDSUfootball's season opener against Colorado. Since they're playing an FBS team, the Bison will be able to use in-helmet communication for the first time. They start practicing with it tomorrow.
OC Jake Landry and QB Cam Miller talked to us about it: pic.twitter.com/lpvxtyOeVA
— Devin Fry (@FryTheSportsGuy) August 1, 2024

"I'm excited to use it," quarterback Cam Miller told Valley News Live. "I just think having another voice in my head telling me 'OK watch out for this'... another person who's helping me with the situational football aspect of it."

North Dakota State and Colorado kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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