Football is a continuosly evolving game, whether its innovating new schemes, or utilizing technological advances in training.
Parkway passing game coordinator Jeff Harper has taken things to a whole new world, a virtual one.

Harper said, “When you put the goggles on you’re at eye level of the quarterback and everything that is in front of them. You can turn around and see everything around you 360 degrees. In the headset you can hear the coaches coaching. What we ask them to do is just so much information at the line of scrimmage. You’ve got to slow it down. They can go back and watch it as many times as they want and learn the nuance and how the defense is moving.”

Virtual reality is different than watching film or running plays at practice, it gives the player an ability to almost go back in time and see their decisions from a new perspective.

Tatum, Texas quarterback Kendric Malone said, “It felt like you were actually in the play and you were doing it. But instead of just going through the motions and just not having as much of an option you can look back side you can read the defense and you can pause it.”

Former Loyola quarterback Jacob Allen said, “Being able to stop and start things is a big difference because in a game or in practice you’re not able to say oh wait a second or I need to see that again or see what you did wrong.”

Harper said, “This allows a quarterback to see things the way a coach sees it. Now he’s hearing it and he’s seeing it at the same time and now him and I are on the same page when I ask him what did you see on that he can tell me.”

It’s not only beneficial for a quarterback.

Harper said, ” I can go behind the defense and record how the defense is moving how they’re fitting to our run scheme. Load it up and now our QBs can come back and watch it. We can go into pass pro and now my offensive line can come in here. For the software to work in every phase for the offense or defense for that matter is most surprising.”

Since installation in January, results have been apparent.

Parkway quarterback Gabriel Larry said, “Like it doesn’t lie. The film don’t lie. I can be better at reading coverages and stuff and this has helped me with that.”

Harper said, “We recorded everything. To see how quickly the quarterbacks can see the field just from spring to now is night and day.”

Virtual reality truly is technology of the future for the future.

Harper said, “High school football is extremely advanced we’re teaching that now. So imagine what a kid looks like when he’s run these plays not hundreds of times but thousands of times.

Its no longer a secret, the future is now, and the Panthers are up to realtime speed in 2019.