Three major NCAA college football conferences – the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten – have announced that coaches and players will have access to iPads on the sidelines during games for video replay, starting in the 2024 college football season.
“The SEC is committed to using technology to support the competitive experience, and today we are excited to announce new ways we are integrating technology to advance the sport of football,” said Southeastern Conference (SEC) Commissioner Greg Sankey. “The SEC is proud to introduce iPad to the sidelines during college football games to elevate the performance of student-athletes into the future.”
“The ACC continues its commitment in embracing the use of technology to elevate the performance of our student-athletes, teams, officials, and more,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “We are proud to advance the sport of football and build upon our positive experiences over the last two years of testing in men’s and women’s basketball. Between our state-of-the-art ACC Game Day Operations Center, being at the forefront of testing the technology in basketball, and with this year’s integration in football, we are proud of our unparalleled prioritization of technology and the positive impact it will have for our league.”
“We’re thrilled the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten are utilizing iPad, as its unique capabilities and versatility make it the ideal solution to support coaches and student-athletes,” said Scott Brodrick, an iPad product marketing employee at Apple. “With an unrivaled combination of advanced displays, powerful performance, portability, fast connectivity, all-day battery life and versatile accessories, iPad will let coaches and players make in-game adjustments and empower athletes to compete at the highest level.”
The introduction of iPads is due to recent NCAA rule changes that allow video replay technology to be used on the sidelines of college football games, for the first time. The 2024 college football season kicks off on Saturday, August 24.