Virginia Tech has been putting football helmets through vigorous testing and ranking them from best to worst for over a decade now.
This year's ranking of the top 32 helmets on the market came out recently, where Virginia Tech evaluated a helmets ability to "to reduce linear and rotational acceleration of the head resulting from a range of head impacts a football player might see on the field."
It's important to note, these rankings are separate from the NFL and NFLPA rankings that also come out annually.
The information provided in these studies is always invaluable and much appreciate by coaches at all levels across the country.
Whether you use it for deciding what new helmets to order, justifying new helmet purchases with your administration, or simply showing where your inventory stacks up at your parents meeting, take this and use it as you like.
The top helmet brands, including newcomer Light, earned the following rankings in the impact testing:
VICIS
#1 - Zero2 Trench
#3 - Zero2
#10 - Zero1
LIGHT
#2 - Gladiator ATK
#7 - Gladiator
#11 - LS2-CV
#19 - LS1-CV
RIDDELL
#5 - Axiom
#8 - SpeedFlex Diamond
#13 - SpeedFlex True
#15 - Precision-Fit
#18 - SpeedFlex
#26 - Speed
#30 - Speed Icon
SCHUTT
#4 - F7 LTD
#6 - F7 2.0
#12 - F7 VTD
#20 - Vengeance Z10 LTD
#21 - Vengeance Pro LTD
#23 - Vengeance Z10
#24 - Vengeance Pro (2018)
#25 - F7
#27 - Air XP Pro VTD II
#28 - Vengeance VTD II
#29 - Air XP Pro Q10 VTD
#31 - Air XP Pro
#32 - Air XP Pro Q10
SG
#22 - DBS.001
XENITH
#9 - Shadow XR
#14 - X2E+
#16 - Shadow
#17 - Epic+
Timing is everything, and many coaches immediately recognized the unique VICIS helmets from a notable scene from over the weekend's NFL action..
While VICIS may hold two of the top three spots in the rankings (despite facing well documented financial difficulties over the last several years) coaches will recognize the helmet brand from this viral photo captured by the moment where a Dolphins defender collided with Patrick Mahomes in some cold weather action this weekend.
The helmet in the photo is the VICIS Zero2, ranked #3 in the ratings.
It's worth noting that more than a few of the top helmet manufacturers are skeptical of the funding and influences behind these annual rankings (especially the NFL / NFLPA ratings), as sources have shared with FootballScoop.
Last year's testing from the NFL and NFLPA had VICIS helmets occupy the top five spots, including the top performing helmets for offensive and defensive lineman. Those rankings include helmets prohibited for use by players in the NFL.
See the full helmet rankings, and the research included, via this link.