Bowling Green State University football coach Scot Loeffler has been calling for updated technology rules in college football for at least two years.

Even the high schools have allowed computer tablets on the sidelines before this year, but for the colleges teams technology like that on or near the field was not tolerated. That will all change this year.

Optional technology rules in football, effective for the 2024 season, were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel.

In games involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams, each school will have the option to use coach-to-player communications through the helmet to one player on the field, and tablets will be allowed on the sidelines.

Loeffler and BGSU senior quarterback Connor Bazelak say it is about time.

“It will be great, especially for a quarterback,” Bazelak said. “The past five years of my college career I’ve had to look over to the sidelines for my signals before every play.

“Now, we just get a call to my ear and can come out and see the defense and look at personnel changes, look at if they are changing their defense or even try to look at their signals to see if I can catch what they are running.”

Loeffler says it will be interesting to see how these changes evolve as technology, and football, evolves.

“I think it’s great. I’ve been wanting these things for years,” Loeffler said. “It will be interesting to see how in college football a single headset on one side of the ball — it will be interesting to see if we stay in the pro model or if we move toward the XFL where all the skill guys can hear the call. It really benefits the huddle teams.

“The thing I’m most excited about is the tablets. Anytime a guy comes off the sidelines and you can show them exactly what they are getting, that is a huge advantage for the player.”

The player communicating with the sideline will be identified by having a green dot on the back midline of the player’s helmet. The communication from the coach to the player will be turned off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.

For all three college divisions, teams have the option of using tablets to view in-game video only. The video can include the broadcast feed and camera angles from the coach’s sideline and coach’s end zone.

Teams can have up to 18 active tablets for use in the coaching booth, sideline and locker room.

Tablets cannot be connected to other devices to project larger additional images and cannot include analytics, data or data access capability or other communication access. All team personnel will be allowed to view the tablets during the game.