Former BYU Standouts Join Groundbreaking Brain Health Study Using Light Therapy
Larry Carr has been on a mission for years - not just to help football players, but to help anyone dealing with brain injuries. Now, that mission just got a major boost. Two, actually.
First, a new study on transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) - a form of infrared light therapy - was accepted by the Journal of Neurotrauma, a respected peer-reviewed publication in the field of brain injury research. The study tracked BYU football players over the course of a season and found promising results. According to the data, the therapy isn’t just anecdotal feel-good science - it’s showing measurable, physiological improvements in brain function.
Second, two of the most recognizable names in BYU football history - Tom Holmoe and Jim Herrmann - have joined the latest round of research as participants. Their involvement brings not just visibility, but credibility to a treatment that’s still gaining traction in the sports medicine world.
A Personal Stake in the Game
Holmoe, who recently retired as BYU’s athletic director, is no stranger to the physical toll of football. He played defensive back for BYU from 1978 to 1982, helping the Cougars to four conference titles before heading to the NFL, where he won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. That era of football was known for its physicality - especially the kind that involved leading with your head.
“I got a concussion in my very first NFL game,” Holmoe recalled. “I hit a guy head-to-head at the goal line.
We both went down. I got up and wandered off, but I was groggy.
The next day the doctor told me I had a concussion because I said I played for the Seattle Seahawks - and I was on the 49ers.”
Now 65, Holmoe says he’s not experiencing symptoms commonly associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - the degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma. No headaches, no depression, no anxiety. But he’s also realistic.
“After all that football, I have brain injury to some degree. I must have,” he said.
“If this therapy can help reverse any of that, I want to know. I want to help and participate.”
Holmoe, who studied biology in college, says the science behind tPBM makes sense to him. He authorized the original headset studies during his time as AD, and now that he’s retired, he’s stepping into the research himself - no conflict of interest, just genuine curiosity and hope.
Jim Herrmann’s Journey
Herrmann, 64, was a defensive end on BYU’s 1984 national championship team and played briefly in the NFL before injuries cut his career short. He’s had multiple back surgeries since - including an artificial disc replacement - and says he’s well aware of the toll his playing days took.
“All those three-point stance drills, all that contact - I know my brain’s not perfect,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how this therapy works, but I’m excited to find out.”
Herrmann, who later became a lawyer, is naturally cautious with his words. But after seeing the data and hearing stories like Carr’s, he’s optimistic.
“Larry’s story is incredible. I believe it changed his life,” he said.
“You look at the MRIs, the before-and-after images, and I don’t know how you deny it. From what I’ve seen, this looks like something that could really move the needle.”
Carr’s Crusade
Carr knows this technology intimately - not just as a researcher, but as a patient. A former BYU linebacker himself (1972-74), he credits tPBM with saving his life after he struggled with suicidal thoughts and cognitive decline. He now works alongside neuropsychologists Elisabeth Wilde and Carrie Esopenko at the University of Utah’s Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, contributing to the very research that once helped him.
Carr has helped lead studies involving over 100 BYU football players during the 2021, 2024, and 2025 seasons. Players wore the infrared therapy headsets throughout the season, and the results, according to Carr, were not just about brain health - they translated on the field as well.
He believes the therapy gave players a “three percent edge” - a boost in reaction time, cognitive processing, and physical strength that helped them close out games. BYU posted an 85% winning percentage during those headset seasons, and while Carr is careful to note that on-field results are anecdotal, he’s confident in the science behind the scenes.
“You don’t need a Ph.D. in neuroscience to see the pattern,” Carr said. “We’ve got emotional, cognitive, motor, and physiological data collected over five years.
The benefits are clear. Data is data.
I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t use this.”
A New Chapter in Brain Health
What sets this latest study apart is the public participation of Holmoe and Herrmann. Until now, all data collected from athletes - including football players, boxers, and even firefighters - has been anonymous. Having two well-known former players not only step forward, but also agree to make their results public, marks a new chapter in this research.
Their results are expected to be released in early 2026, and if the data continues to trend in a positive direction, it could open the door for broader adoption of tPBM - not just in sports, but for anyone dealing with the long-term effects of brain trauma.
For Carr, it’s personal. For Holmoe and Herrmann, it’s a chance to contribute to a field that could help countless others - former athletes, first responders, veterans, and beyond.
And for football - a sport that’s long wrestled with its impact on the brain - it could be a glimpse into a healthier future.