The world of virtual reality is changing the game of college football.
Imagine being able to watch film from your very own first person perspective.
That’s what Texas Tech has been doing for the past year.
Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury compared a football players use of the technology, to a pilot using a flight simulator. Kingsbury saying that the first time he put the goggles on, he was sold.
“I had read an article on Carson Palmer Monday Morning Quarterback that went through his week of preparation and I’ve known him a long time and have a lot of respect for him and the type of player he is and I was just fascinated by some of the statements he made about it,” Kingsbury said. “Then when we were approached, wanted to do it, wanted to get around and once I put it on, I was sold. It puts you at the quarterback position and it’s like a flight simulator for a pilot. You’re getting those reps mentally that there’s no other way to simulate that.”
The greatest beneficiary of this technology might be Kingsbury’s junior quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes enters Thursday night’s Big 12 opener as the nation’s leader in passing yards per game (497.6) and total offense per game (543.7). He’s thrown for 1,493 yards through just three games this season – that’s the most by an FBS quarterback since 2000.
While, Kingsbury and his team don’t chalk it up as the end all, be all.
The ball doesn’t lie!
“It really let’s me get into the film. When you watch it on the screen you can really look at certain things, but you can’t see the whole aspect of it. The virtual reality, I’m right there seeing exactly what I see when I’m taking my drops and making my throws,” Mahomes said. “So just being able to see their defenses from my perspective before I even play them it really does help out.”
“You can’t point to that as being the sole thing, but obviously you are watching how he’s playing and he’s been doing that since this spring and I think it’s had a pretty dramatic effect on him,” Kingsbury said. “He’s got basically double the reps he ever has because every practice he puts that on and now you get those reps as well. And I really think that’s helped him.”
Click on the video above to watch!
