EAST LANSING, Mich. — The sight was a common one for Andrew Kolpacki. For many a Sunday, he would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed at the tops of their lungs.

When the NCAA’s playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State’s head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans’ QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem.

“There had to be some sort of solution,” he said.

As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street.

Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder.

Kolpacki “showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, ‘Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?” Bush said. “And I said, ‘Oh, absolutely.’”

Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style.

Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise.

DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section.

“I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride,” DuBois said. “And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field.”

All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season.

Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they’re getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables.

The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development.

XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works.

“We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn’t forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football,” Klosterman said. “We’ve now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend.”

The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it’s typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet.

Chiles “likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure,” Kolpacki said.

Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. “The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues,” Kolpacki said.

“It can be just deafening,” he said. “That’s what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off.”

Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a “win-win-win” for everyone.

“It’s exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team,” she said. “I think it’s really exciting for our students as well to take what they’ve learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed.”

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Amid Michigan’s widely reported pursuit of Belleville 2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot four-star signal-caller Carter Smith backed off his verbal pledge to the Wolverines on Oct. 30.

Michigan secured a commitment from Underwood on Thursday, flipping him from LSU, while Smith also has found a new home.

The No. 164 overall prospect nationally, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, announced Sunday night on social media his intention to play at Wisconsin.

“I’ve talked to a lot of coaches in such a short time and have made many amazing relationships,” Smith wrote in a first-person story in the News-Press. “I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities that were offered to me. With that being said, I decided to commit to the University of Wisconsin.

“I fell in love with everything that they had to offer: an electric fan base, an incredible coaching staff, and a great education. I could not have gotten more lucky! Go Badgers!”

Smith was one of the first players to join Michigan’s 2025 class, committing in November 2023 when Jim Harbaugh was still the coach. He took a visit to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines’ showdown against Michigan State on Oct. 26, but shortly after, Michigan’s full-court press to try and land Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the country, became highly publicized.

“He felt extremely disappointed in how they handled everything,” Smith’s father, Dan Smith, told ESPN.

After reopening his recruitment, Carter, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida in 2023, received interest from a handful of schools and took an official visit to Wisconsin on Nov. 15 against No. 1 Oregon. He becomes the highest-ranked prospect in the Badgers’ class and is the second former Michigan pledge to choose Wisconsin in the past week. Palatine (Ill.) four-star defensive lineman flipped his commitment on Wednesday.

Michigan turning its attention to Underwood during a season where the offense has largely been inept signals a shift in recruiting under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore. Multiple outlets have reported that Underwood is set to earn a name, image, likeness package in the millions when he is expected to ink his letter of intent during the early signing period Dec. 4-6.

The state recorder holder in passing and total touchdowns is the second No. 1 overall recruit Michigan has landed in the online rankings era.

The Central Michigan job is open. Head coach Jim McElwain announced he will retire at the end of the season, coming off a win against rival Western Michigan last week.

McElwain is 33-35 in six seasons leading the Chippewas. They reached the MAC championship game in his first season in 2019 and posted a 9-4 season in 2021 capped by a Sun Bowl win against Washington State, but CMU is in the midst of a third consecutive losing season.

So how good is the Central Michigan job? What names could get in the mix? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a report card for the job and the potential candidates to watch.

Recent history/tradition: C+

CMU has historically been one of the better teams in the MAC, winning the conference three times from 2006 to ’09 and reaching 11 bowls in 16 years from 2006 to ’21. Brian Kelly and Butch Jones both parlayed successful runs with the Chips into the Cincinnati job. But there have been just two winning seasons in the last seven years. McElwain found some success but never consistency.

On-field outlook: D+

The roster is in desperate need of playmakers. CMU doesn’t have a top-15 passer or receiver in the MAC, and leading rusher Marion Lukes is a senior. The defense has some bright spots in junior linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski and defensive lineman Jason Williams. For what it’s worth, CMU ranks seventh in the conference per 247Sports’ Team Talent Composite ratings, which are based on high school recruiting rankings.

Money matters: C

McElwain’s $1 million salary was near the top of the MAC but may not be enough to hire a Power 4 coordinator. CMU was fourth in the MAC in football spending in 2022, according to Sportico’s most recent numbers. The $22 million Chippewa Champions Center, an end zone facility with new meeting rooms, locker rooms, a weight room and more, opened in 2020. CMU also has an indoor practice field, making this altogether one of the better setups in the MAC.

University stability: C+

The school just got a new president in Neil MacKinnon, and athletic director Amy Folan has been there since 2020 after nearly two decades at Texas. School support for football has generally been strong. But the school is also dealing with its potential role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal at Michigan. The NCAA investigation is ongoing, but ESPN confirmed the NCAA believes Stalions was on the CMU sideline for a game against Michigan State in 2023. McElwain has said he knew nothing about it, but CMU quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner, who is close with Stalions, resigned earlier this season. It’s unclear what potential penalties CMU could face and how McElwain’s retirement could impact that.

Coach pool: C-

Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli coached at CMU from 2010 to ’16. The former Cincinnati offensive coordinator is expected to get Power 4 offensive coordinator looks in this cycle and has done a good job with Riley Leonard at Notre Dame this season.

Kansas co-offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski spent 2017 to 2020 in the MAC at Buffalo, and he has developed quarterbacks like Tyree Jackson, Jason Bean and Jalon Daniels. Zebrowski has head coaching experience at Division III Lakeland, going 28-12 in four seasons and reaching the playoffs for the first time in program history.

Illinois defensive backs coach Corey Parker is a Detroit native who previously coached at Toledo and played at Eastern Michigan. He helped develop cornerback Quinyon Mitchell into a two-time All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick. He was a Michigan high school coach from 2006 to ’21 and was a regional director in the Michigan High School Coaches Association. This year, he has played a big role in Illinois’ 8-3 start.

Ole Miss wide receivers coach George McDonald is an Indiana native and has MAC experience at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, where he coached Greg Jennings. McDonald spent the previous three years at Illinois and works with an Ole Miss offense that sits fourth nationally in scoring.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni is a CMU alum who coached with the Chips from 2007 to ’09. He recruited Antonio Brown and Eric Fisher to the school during a dominant period under Jones. He has also coached at Florida, Tennessee and Wisconsin and has been in the NFL since 2017. His receivers have played a big role in the Steelers’ 8-3 start this season.

Houston offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay was a CMU assistant from 2019 to ’21, including as offensive coordinator during the nine-win 2021 season. He has since been the offensive coordinator at Appalachian State, Mississippi State and Houston.

Wisconsin outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell was the head coach at Division II Grand Valley State in Michigan from 2010 to ’22, with four top-five finishes. He has spent the last two years in Madison.

Butler head coach Mike Uremovich is 18-8 in three seasons at the Indiana FCS program, including 9-2 this year. He previously coached at Northern Illinois for seven seasons over three stints, so he has MAC experience. The Indiana native has spent almost his entire career in the Midwest.

Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito has coached in the state since 2010, including seven years as a Western Michigan assistant. Despite the Wolverines’ struggles this year, Esposito’s defensive line has been a strong point, ranking 21st in yards per carry allowed. Esposito has also coached at Division II Ferris State, and he went 6-5 as NAIA Davenport’s head coach in 2016.

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods has done a good job with the Hawkeyes, where he played and has spent his entire coaching career, a member of Kirk Ferentz’s staff since 2008. Punter Tory Taylor was one of the best in NCAA history, and people around Iowa believe Woods could be ready to take on a bigger job.

Stony Brook head coach Billy Cosh inherited an 0-10 program this year and has the Seawolves at 8-4 and ranked in the FCS top 25. Cosh was previously the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan and Richmond.

Minnesota co-offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh (no relation to Jim) is a Western Michigan alum and former coach there. He’s been with the Gophers since 2022 and was promoted to co-OC the next year, and the Gophers are going to a third consecutive bowl game.

Overall grade: C

The expectations are rightfully high in Mt. Pleasant. The facility setup and pay is pretty good relative to the MAC, too. But the roster needs an overhaul, and the big success of the somewhat recent past is getting further away.

(Photo: Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)