Valley football teams using newly-approved wearable play-calling technology
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You may not be able to notice it at first, but some Rio Grande Valley football teams are getting a major upgrade.
Earlier this year, the UIL approved the use of wearable play-calling technology in Texas for this upcoming football season.
Players will get access to a watch, with a coach able to send information in via a tablet to the team.
Some feel it favors one side of the ball over the other.
“It’s another advantage for the offensive guys, that’s what it is,” Weslaco Head Football Coach Roy Stroman said. “I’m a defensive guy and it seems like these new UIL rules are starting to favorite offenses.”
The reason for the change is to help get plays in faster and more clearly to players, and to avoid one of the most controversial strategies in sports — sign stealing.
“I definitely think it’s going to help in the sense that we won't get mixed signals or missed signals by the athletes across the field,” Weslaco Football Offensive Coordinator Roel Sanchez said.
The new device looks just like an Apple Watch and it’s very easy to put on.
The offensive and defensive coordinators will be using tablets to relay what play is being called. The players will then feel a vibration indication the play is in, even late in the play clock.
Some RGV schools are holding off on using the new technology for this upcoming season.
“I think technology is going to get to the point where it’ll be screen based so we’re going to wait for that,” Nikki Rowe Head Football Coach Jamaar Taylor said.
The cost of the new devices can run upwards of $20,000 for 24 watches. While the schools who were able to attain the new devices are grateful, some coaches said not every school in the valley will be able to afford them.
Only time will tell how the watches will impact things on the field this fall.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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