testing new helmet this spring

[aubiefifty 18,243]

Auburn part of selective group testing new helmet this spring

ByNathan King

5-7 minutes

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Auburn Spring Practice: QBs Throwing on the Run

 

AUBURN, Alabama — For 17 years, Dana Marquez has prided Auburn in being on the forefront of technology and equipment on the college level.

The program has another chance to do so this spring, as one of only a few schools testing out a new helmet design on the gridiron.

For the past nine spring practices, Oregon transfer defensive tackle Jayson Jones has been breaking in Riddell’s new Axiom helmet — which is designed not for specific position groups, but is unique to each player, and places a focus on breaking and dispersing energy upon impact.

High-profile quarterbacks like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and Florida's Anthony Richardson are also donning the Axiom in spring practices.

Marquez, Auburn head equipment manager and associate athletic director, said a few programs, including Auburn, had their hands on the Axiom last season, but they were still in the learning stages about its capabilities and how to properly fit it on a student-athlete.

Under more normal circumstances, Auburn may have had deployed the helmet years ago.

“People forget we’ve been in a pandemic for two years,” Marquez said. “Helmet manufacturers have been working diligently for the last two years to start new designs and new technologies. The Axiom helmet, we actually had last year, but we were just learning about the technology. We didn’t put it on anybody, other than fit it correctly and do those things. In January, we went down to our coaches’ convention. Riddell, Schutt, Vicis, CNS — the whole crew. We looked at some new technology that’s been out there, and the Axiom helmet is new technology.

“It’s following Riddell’s thought process of the SpeedFlex, where it gives the helmet more flexibility to absorb impact and disperse it through the helmet, versus through the head. The technology has shifted to try to transfer energy.”

(Photo: Todd Van Emst / Auburn Athletics)

So how did Jones end up as the guinea pig? For starters, the Axiom is “massive,” Marquez said, and Auburn was already having some issues fitting Jones. The Calera, Alabama, native, who played two seasons at Oregon before transferring home, was also excited about getting something unique and personal this spring.

“His head shape, his hair — mostly his hair — was very difficult to fit a helmet,” Marquez said. “So we just felt that was a great opportunity to fit it with him — and he was very open to the opportunity of having something that was specifically made for him. He’s very knowledgeable about the game and has been articulate about what he likes. So it was a good match for us to get good information back from him.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Jones thinks it looks cool.

“Any time you break out a new helmet, it has to pass the looks test,” Marquez said. “If it looks completely different, everyone’s making fun of you: ‘Oh man, you’ve got a space helmet on.’ It’s just really good to utilize our athletes and get their feedback. So far, so good. He’s really liked it.”

(Photo: Todd Van Emst / Auburn Athletics)

The newest helmet and safety technology places emphasis on foam and padding instead of pressurized air, Marquez said, which is slowly being phased out as the sport’s norm.

The newer technology is, of course, more expensive, which is one of the reasons Marquez was so excited for Auburn to be tabbed as one of the first programs to test it.

After spring, Marquez and his staff, if they’re pleased with Jones’ results, can order more Axioms to be used for the fall. It’s already been a topic of discussion within the football program’s fall budget, he said.

“These helmets are not inexpensive, so it’s always fun to be on the cutting edge of safety for our student-athletes,” Marquez said. “Riddell is not launching this helmet in a massive amount of quantities, so people that are testing it like we are, we’ll have the opportunity to go forward with it in the fall. After spring ball, we’ll sit down with the student-athlete who had it on and get a good feel for what he thought and how it worked. I’ll meet with different colleagues around the country who also have this helmet and kind of get their feedback, then see how we move forward into the fall.”

Marquez’s experience and Auburn’s strong reputation as an equipment staff has allowed the program to test new helmets before. The Tigers had three new additions last season, though Marquez said it’s sometimes tough to spot the differences when the helmets aren’t making drastic changes.

“Sometimes you want to be next, not first,” Marquez joked. “But in our case, we’re a very forward-thinking equipment staff, so we get a lot of opportunities from different vendors to try out equipment and impact equipment.”

The Axiom, though, could be a big step forward for college football equipment over the next few seasons — and Auburn is in the thick of that development.

“It’s another massive change in helmet technology,” Marquez said. “Staying on top of technology for our student-athletes is one of the pillars we live by.”