Two South Carolina football players are some of the first in the nation to take the next step in football helmet safety.

Riddell, a football equipment provider, made custom fit helmets for senior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams and sophomore wide receiver Bryan Edwards to wear in practice and games this season.

The helmet is a personalized version of the company’s SpeedFlex helmet, designed to be safer helmet in order to help prevent concussions.

“Riddell came in and fitted me and Bryan by measuring our heads and made us our own helmets. It’s pretty cool and it fits comfortable,” Allen-Williams said. “We went in, measured our heads and basically scanned our heads and made a helmet just for us. You get to sign your helmet and it's a helmet I get to keep when I leave [USC]. I got a signature on the outside and in the inside of it.”

While the thought of having a helmet just for him with his own signature on it is cool, Allen-Williams said an even better thought is having the assurance his head is being protected by the latest technology.

USC's @B_Quatro4 custom made Riddell helmet. It's like a fitted hat. He and Bryan Edwards have one as Riddell looks to improve safety @WLTX pic.twitter.com/b3NBF7L5eo — Joe Cook (@JoeCookSports) August 3, 2017

CTE, abbreviated for Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease found in people who have sustained repeated blows to the head. The disease has been a hot topic around football, especially retired NFL football players who have shown signs of dementia, erratic behavior, suicidality, and more.

According to a recent article published by ESPN, a study on 202 former football players at the profession, college, and high school level was done. CTE was diagnosed in 177 former players (110 being former NFL players), nearly 90 percent (87.6) of donated brains tested.

“With all the stuff about CTE coming out, having a helmet like this that you know is professionally made to your head and have protection behind it is really nice to have,” Allen-Williams said.

Onl two Gamecocks are wearing the specialized SpeedFlex helmets, but Allen-Williams was told the prototype level may turn into a more popular option starting next year. Allen-Williams and Edwards were the two players approached and they both accepted to be the helmet pioneers for the Gamecocks.

“We’re one of the first schools they came to about custom helmets. They are trying to move to custom helmets because everybody’s head is not the same,” Allen-Williams said. “In trying to prevent concussions they have extra padding around it. It feels a lot more comfortable to me than the regular helmet. I think they are trying to give it to a lot more guys next year.”

A customizable varsity size SpeedFlex helmet on Riddell's website retails for $409.99. Custom options like size of the shell, face mask, and chin strap are available in the online shopping process.

The goal was to design a helmet with fully integrated components and innovations for peak athlete performance and state-of-the-art protection. We looked at the players’ wants and needs – at all levels of competition. The result: The Riddell SpeedFlex. Backed by extensive research, including our 2+ million data points of on-field impacts, the SpeedFlex introduces many technical features that are new to the field. – Helmet description on riddell.com

For all football players, intentional/unintentional helmet contact is frequent. As a linebacker and one of the top tacklers on the Gamecocks defense, Allen-Williams will benefit from a helmet suited to limit injury to the head and brain.

He is the starting SAM linebacker in USC’s base 4-3 defense and will also split time as the BUCK linebacker, utilizing his pass rushing abilities from the edges of the pocket.

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