Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
1 0 M A Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he "green dot" helmet came to the NFL in 2008. While college football was slow to adopt the innovation, it was finally introduced in 2024 after gaining wider support in the aftermath of Michigan's sign-stealing scandal. The now-familiar green stickers let everyone know which player can hear instructions from a coach — almost always a coordina- tor — until 15 seconds remain on the play clock or the ball is snapped, whichever comes first. On the offensive side of the ball, the choice as to who wears the sticker is sim- ple: It's always the quarterback. On defense, the middle linebacker is typically the choice, but not always. With spring practice winding down in mid- April, Penn State was still figuring out who will wear the radio-equipped helmet and be responsible for getting everyone aligned correctly ahead of the snap. New defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn is responsible for making that deci- sion. He spent the previous two seasons at USC, where he was more apt to rely on safeties than linebackers for the green dot role. Safety Akili Arnold wore it in 2024 before passing the responsibility to middle linebacker Desman Stephens II at the beginning of the 2025 season. After Stephens struggled at times in the Tro- jans' first two games, particularly against the run, Lynn gave the green dot to safety Kamari Ramsey, a role he performed for the rest of the season. Lynn is now leaning on that experience to figure out what will be best for Penn State this fall. "We have it on different people each week," he said in mid-April. "Right now, it's on the 'backers. At some point in time, it'll be on the DBs. It really just comes down to, what individual handles the green dot the best? If it's your Mike, it's going to be your Mike. It could be your [weakside linebacker]. At USC, we felt like NEWS & NOTES PSU EVALUATING CANDIDATES FOR 'GREEN DOT' ROLE ON DEFENSE G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Junior linebacker Cael Brezina was one of Iowa State's green dot players during the 2025 season. Defenses are allowed to have one player on the field who is in radio communication with the coaches prior to the snap. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR