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FAYETTEVILLE -- Bret Bielema is proven to be an advocate for technology in college football.

The Arkansas coach drew national headlines when he brought virtual reality to Fayetteville a couple years ago and he didn't stop there. Before last season, Bielema added helmet radios - like those used by quarterbacks and middle linebackers in the NFL - to the Razorbacks' tool box.

They allowed offensive coordinator Dan Enos, a former quarterback himself, to stay in constant communication with Austin Allen and Arkansas' other quarterbacks during practice.

"I know our quarterbacks hated it," Bielema joked. "They wanted to take it away from Enos after the first period because he's talking a little bit of noise in their ear and they can't do anything about it."

Enos said the radios are particularly helpful for younger players as they learn the offense, but as they get older, they aren't as excited about them. Once they have a solid grasp on the playbook and feel like they know what they're doing, the quarterbacks view the radios as a crutch.

That has led to some chatter directed toward Enos, as Bielema hinted.

"Yeah, they say a lot of stuff," Enos said with a laugh. "I'm glad it doesn't have a microphone where I can hear what they say back to me."

While Arkansas uses them in practice, helmet radios are not allowed in games. Bielema, who is on the NCAA rules committee, said on Friday that he hopes to get that rule changed.

The NCAA has been slower than the NFL to adopt technology, as evidenced by college football getting instant replay two decades after the pros. In recent years, the NCAA approved the use of tablets - like iPads - on the sideline during games only to reverse its decision because of the cost factor for schools in Group of Five conferences.

Instead, the use of electronic devices was approved for coaches in the press box and in the locker room during halftime. Bielema said he thinks that rule, as well as the use of helmet radios, could be approved sooner rather than later because the Power Five conferences "will continue to flex their muscle."

Enos said stealing signals is pretty common in college football. Plus, time limitations set by the NCAA force coaches to be selective in how they spent their time in practice. Helmet radios would help both of those problems.

"If we had the ear piece mechanism, we could just call the plays that way," Enos said. "I wouldn't have to spend any time teaching signals. I could just teach them coverages, footwork, drops."

Until they get approved, Arkansas will continue to be creative in how they use them in practice.

During fall camp, the Razorbacks removed the radio from one of the quarterbacks' helmets and put it in Brian Wallace's helmet. The starting right tackle was struggling, so they gave offensive line coach Kurt Anderson the power to walk him through the process.

"He literally, from the time B-Wall walked out of the huddle until he lined up until right before the snap, would be giving him some coaching directions," Bielema said. "It's been awesome to see that change. Now we're going to ween that out of there."

Wallace had the physical side down, but needed help on the mental side. Anderson was giving him "alignment, assignment and adjustment" tips, Enos said.

"I think (Anderson) wanted Brian to really focus in on his every play checklist so it's very consistent, so he can be very detailed and be 100 percent that he's doing this every single play," Enos said. "I think it's helped."

However, when the Razorbacks take the field against Florida A&M on Thursday, neither Wallace nor any of the quarterbacks who play will have an assistant coach in their ear.

They'll have to rely on what they learned during the offseason - at least until the NCAA changes the rule.

"I think it's a good teaching tool early on, but you don't want to get addicted to it," Bielema said. "Until they change the rule and you get them in there full time, you don't want it to be a bandaid for them."

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