Notre Dame is turning Saturday night into more than just a football game.
When No. 1 Miami walks into Notre Dame Stadium, the Fighting Irish will be ready with a stadium-wide light show built around LED wristbands that school officials say have never been used before at a college football game. The goal is simple: make the place as loud, bright and uncomfortable as possible for the Hurricanes.
Fans in attendance will find the wristbands waiting at their seats, and the devices can be synchronized during the game to produce coordinated lighting effects across the stadium. In practice, that means the crowd can become part of the display, with the wristbands working like individual pixels to create words and images in the stands.
Kevin Cassidy, Notre Dame’s associate athletic director for revenue generation and fan experience, said the technology has already shown up at major entertainment and sporting events, but this will be its college football debut.
The school plans to trigger the wristbands at different moments throughout the night, building a synchronized show around one of the season’s biggest matchups.
Notre Dame has used LED wristbands before. In its September 2023 game against Ohio State, the university handed out programmed wristbands that lit up different sections of the stadium in green and other colors.
Marcus Freeman has also made it clear that he wants the crowd to be a factor. At his Monday news conference, the Notre Dame coach challenged Irish fans to create enough noise to interfere with Miami’s offensive communication.
That atmosphere could matter early, especially with Miami quarterback Darian Mensah trying to settle in. Miami is already without Malachi Toney for the game, and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will look to get Mensah comfortable so the passing game can keep humming the way it has this season.
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