To reduce the risk of head injuries, the state of Ohio now requires its football players to wear Guardian Caps during practice.
The soft-shell helmet covers have become a more common sight at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center since the Buckeyes opened their preseason camp last week.
“If we can protect our players and it’s safe, we will do that,” coach Ryan Day said.
The staff first made the caps available to players in 2022, but did not require them until this year.
Day said they consulted with Dr. Russell Lonser, a neurosurgeon who heads the university’s department of neurological surgery, before taking this step.
Lonser was familiar with data the NFL had collected on the protective headgear. The league, which made it mandatory last year, found that the caps absorbed at least 10% of the impact force of a helmet-to-helmet collision when one player wore them, and 20% when both players wore the caps.
“We just wanted to see the data,” Day said, “and the data showed we should do it, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Before the start of preseason training, Lonser met with the players to answer any questions they had about the layer of padding that covers the outside of their helmets.
Day said none of them had a problem wearing the caps. They will continue to wear them after training camp and during practice throughout the year.
“The boys accepted it,” he said. “There was really no resistance from our players.”
Quarterbacks, kickers and punters, who make up the few position groups excluded from contact periods in practice, are exempt from the team’s requirement to use protective coverings; a rule similar to that in the NFL.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State University football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or send him an email to [email protected].
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