Mississippi State uses iPads instead of play books
Mississippi State University’s football team is doing away with traditional playbooks for the coming season. Instead, the Bulldogs are using iPads.
Mississippi State, a public land-grant university in Starkville, Miss., spent more than $65,000 to purchase 100 iPads for its players and 13 for its coaches, along with AppleCare, this spring to give the team and new way to study its plays for the upcoming season.
“I’m hoping in two years, we saved the difference in cost,” director of football operations Jon Clark told the , noting that the team printed its 300-page playbook each year for every player along with weekly 40 to 50-page scouting reports.
Along with the standard Apple applications, the iPads come equipped with two other apps: Road Trip and Hudl.
Road Trip allows the players to download the playbook and scouting report each week using a secure login while Hudl allows them to upload game footage from their own games or their opponents. It also includes videos of team meetings.
“It’s fantastic. That’s how kids use things. That’s how they learn. They’re even way ahead on me,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “We’re educators. So what are the best ways to educate 18 to 22 year olds. And the best way they learn. For us, the iPad can really incorporate anything.”
