Guardian Caps have started to make their way into the sport of football, with high school and college football teams beginning to adopt them. These protective barriers that fit over the helmet are proven to show a “50 percent reduction in concussions” according to a press release from the NFL published in September 2022. These caps are currently being worn in 5000+ high schools, becoming increasingly popular among football teams. However, McIntosh has yet to make announcements about implementing them into the Chiefs’ sportswear.

Sophomore Clark Anderson, an offensive lineman for the Chiefs, describes the function of the new feature.

“Guardian Caps absorb some amount of impact when players hit head to head or head to pads. It serves a little bit more protection for players who may get hit in the head,” Anderson said.

Anderson additionally mentioned he would consider wearing one.

“Personally I wouldn’t wear one, just because of the position I play, but a skill position, like a wide receiver, tight end, and running backs who would have a chance of getting hit in the head would probably wear one. Some defensive skill positions would also maybe wear one,” Anderson said.

Senior receiver and two-year varsity player Kamen Springer, however, doesn’t prefer them.

“They look ugly,” Springer said, who prefers “fashion over function. They’re not the best looking.”

Head football coach Derek Smith agrees with Springer, but for different reasons.

“The Guardian helmet has friction, which means your head can stick [to another player’s helmet].” Smith said. “You might not get a head injury, but it can cause neck injuries [when your helmets pull apart].”

Smith has refrained from purchasing Guardian Caps because of the lack of data he has seen supporting them.

“I haven’t seen true data, that is supported, that [the caps] been stopping concussions,” Smith said. “The only data I’ve seen talks about less impact.”

While he may not be investing in Guardian Caps any time soon, Smith buys top-of-the-line helmets for his players.

According to the Virginia Tech helmet rating system, our football team’s helmets are ranked number nine overall. While these helmets demonstrate a score of 1.69 using the STAR value score, one of these helmets along with a Guardian NXT Cap would bring this score down to an 0.8, making it function exceptionally better.

“I always buy the top two or three helmets [according to the Virginia Tech helmet study] because by putting the kid in the best helmet, we’re doing our due diligence of trying to keep the injury from happening to a kid,” Smith said.

Smith also argues that it is up to his team to keep themselves safe instead of only relying on their helmets to protect them.

“Ultimately, I think it’s up to the student’s choice. As a coach, we have to do our job and teach kids to play the game without striking with their heads. Whether you wear a Guardian Cap or not, you have to make sure they don’t strike with their heads.”

This story was originally published on The Trail on October 3, 2024.