Blog Sports

How Football Analytics Rejuvenated the University of Louisiana's Training Regimen

Author: Dave Grendzynski

Coach Connor Neighbors, the University of Louisiana’s Director of Athletic Performance for Football, offers insights into how the Ragin’ Cajuns” are using American football analytics, and transforming their training approach.

The University of Louisiana football team practices while using player tracking devices that record data and provide analytics in football for the team.

Before becoming a coach at Louisiana, Neighbors played at LSU from 2010 – 2014 and had his professional career with the Tennessee Titans cut short by an injury. That’s part of the reason he is trying to learn all that he can about using sports analytics for his players. But he wanted to find the perfect partner.

KINEXON has been a revelation for us,” Neighbors begins. It’s not just about the unique tech capabilities they offer; it’s the relationships we’ve built and the unwavering support they provide. When they promise round-the-clock assistance, they deliver.” 

Neighbors felt they would need help establishing their process and figuring out which analytics made the most sense for a football team to track.

It Starts With Baseline Testing

A KINEXON sports scientist puts a player tracking device in a vest worn by a football player to track data like jumps and yards covered so that coaches can use the information to make better decisions about players.

The University began its journey with KINEXON during spring practice. Our initial objective was baseline testing for all our athletes,” Neighbors explains. This might sound simple, but considering we were integrating 85 units, 55 more than before, it required meticulous planning. Our challenge was ensuring this technology was not only integrated smoothly but also presented in a way that our coaches could easily understand.” 

We’re making it easier than ever to add football analytics to your program by offering our newest solution for football, PERFORM GPS Pro. You’ll get player tracking with unrivaled live data at unmatched speeds.

Download: PERFORM GPS Pro Brochure

The Director of Athletic Performance for Football at the University of Louisiana, Connor Neighbor works with sports analytics company KINEXON to provide data.

KINEXON has this fantastic feature where it adapts to our players. If an athlete clocks in a new max speed, the system updates past records, allowing us to gauge various parameters like their high-speed distances and accelerations.”

Connor Neighbors, University of Louisiana Director of Athletic Performance for Football

Keeping it Simple with a Fantastic Feature

Football analytics are being tracked by sensons that compile data and send them to a dashboard on a laptop.

The integration process turned out to be smoother than anticipated. KINEXON has this fantastic feature where it adapts to our players. If an athlete clocks in a new max speed, the system updates past records, allowing us to gauge various parameters like their high-speed distances and accelerations. 

To keep things efficient, we’ve adopted the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) approach. We translate the data into straightforward terms for our coaches, ensuring they get the core insights without jargon.”

The Metrics Louisiana Utilizes

Analytics in football are helping coaches make crucial decisions about their players which ultimately help the team.

KINEXON’s tech has bridged a previous gap for us – now we can collect data both indoors and outdoors, ensuring continuity in our analyses.”

Connor Neighbors, University of Louisiana Director of Athletic Performance for Football

So, how does this data impact their training routine? Neighbors elaborates, We gathered insights from our spring practices, which informed our summer training plans. Now, during the fall camp, we’re witnessing the real-time effects of our data-driven training. Factors like practice duration and physical contact are pivotal in determining a player’s fatigue level. Whether it’s force development, speed changes, or sharp maneuvers, the data from KINEXON has been spot-on.” 

But what exactly does Neighbors and his team monitor? Our daily metrics include cumulative accelerated load, mechanical intensity, physical load, and high-speed distances. Interestingly, we’ve added our own categories, like tracking anything above 70% of a player’s max velocity. KINEXON’s tech has bridged a previous gap for us – now we can collect data both indoors and outdoors, ensuring continuity in our analyses.” 

Peeling back the curtain a bit more, Neighbors reveals some unique aspects of football training. Football is a game of starts and stops. It has roughly a 2:1 ratio of accelerations to decelerations, with significant breaks in between plays. So, not every movement demands an instant stop, which we factor into our training regimes.”

Data Reveals Sub-Optimal Exercise Plan

University of Louisiana football players use sports analytics to develop better workout habits before the season and before games.

He then delves into a particular instance, shedding light on the profound impact of KINEXON’s data. In July, we initiated max velocity training on Mondays. Despite initial hesitations, the results were promising. But by the week’s end, fatigue was evident among the players. Analyzing the data, we adjusted our approach the next week, focusing more on acceleration work. The reason? Our athletes were already hitting high velocities during other training days. This data-driven shift ensured we didn’t overburden our players.”

We Now Get the Info Both Inside and Out—Which We Lacked in the Past

A KINEXON sports scientist equips a football player with a player tracking device, or sensor, that will send data (like acceleration and deceleration speeds) to a dashboard so coaches can make informed decisions about the player and their team.

KINEXON isn’t just a tool; it’s our ally. It helps us discern the line between what we want to do’ versus what we need to do’. In a sport as demanding as football, such clarity is invaluable.”

Connor Neighbors, University of Louisiana Director of Athletic Performance for Football

In wrapping up, Neighbors encapsulates the transformative power of data in sports. KINEXON isn’t just a tool; it’s our ally. It helps us discern the line between what we want to do’ versus what we need to do’. In a sport as demanding as football, such clarity is invaluable.” 

He continues, I must admit, our team’s readiness this season surpasses any previous year. And the credit goes to KINEXON. Their tech allows us to be objective, focusing solely on the data, which has made our training programs more effective.” 

Coach Neighbors says the University of Louisiana uses KINEXON’s LPS and GPS systems. It’s been a blessing because we can get (the information) both inside and outside with the LPS and GPS systems, which is something that we lacked in the past. So, we go inside and outside at least four times every practice in camp. And then when the season starts, we actually practice inside every day.” 

As football continues to evolve, partnerships like the one between the University of Louisiana and KINEXON illustrate a future where data and sports technology seamlessly blend with athleticism and strategy. 

If you’d like to watch the full interview that we recorded with Coach Neighbors… click here. You can also contact us at any time to learn about our player tracking systems for American football, or check out our guide for coaches on how to balance load management via the link below.


Download: Guide to Load Management in Football

More stories

Inside Stony Brook Athletics: The Benefits of a Multi-Sport Data Analytics Provider

Stony Brook University, renowned for its research excellence, has advanced its approach to monitoring athlete performance and ensuring player safety by leveraging KINEXON technology. We sat down with George Greene (Senior Associate Athletic Director of High Performance and Competitive Success) and his team, Vincent Cagliostro, Kevin Markle, and Emily Meyer, to discuss their efforts to optimize training and enhance sports performance insights.

Basketball Load Data Header
Load Management in Basketball: When Does Player Tracking Become Financially Beneficial?

Player load tracking in basketball: How does data-based injury prevention, like reducing Jumper’s Knee, become financially beneficial for clubs?

SD Eibar uses football software to improve player performance.
GPS Data Boosts Player Performance, Motivation and Coaches' Confidence in SD Eibar Women's Club

To better manage player load, the SD Eibar’s women’s football team switched to a data-driven strategy powered by GPS. It’s a move that their physical trainer, Ismel Mazola says, led to more confident coaching decisions and motivated his players.

Texas A&M University Women's team uses basketball datasets, analytics, and metrics to monitor player performance.
How Basketball Data Helps Guide Texas A&M Women's Team to Early Conference Wins

After the holidays, many teams struggle to get back on track. But not Texas A&M Women’s Basketball. Their Strength and Conditioning coach uses data and analytics to avoid a slump and start fast in conference play.

Handball injuries are common, especially during matches, and a recent study sheds light on how often ligament injuries occur.
Study Reveals the Importance of an Injury Prevention Plan in European Handball

The competitive pressures and dense schedules in professional handball make injuries common among players. The results of a 6‑year study not only highlight the need for an injury prevention plan but also suggest ways coaches can develop one.

How German Handball's S&C Coach Used Data to Cut Knee Injuries by Almost 20%

Dr. Simon Overkamp, the head of strength and conditioning for the German Handball Federation, employs a data-driven strategy that not only keeps his players rested but also reduces knee injuries. And the Olympic Games play a crucial role in his approach.

Appalachian State’s Coaches Use GPS Football Technology to Manage Player Loads in Real-Time

Live GPS football data helps keep players fresh for game day. Just ask the Director of Performance for the Appalachian State Football team, Matt Greenhalgh. He shares what he thinks are some of the most critical load management metrics in the game.

A study found that agility in basketball can be influenced by exercises that also improve change of direction.
Why Basketball Agility Drills Should Focus on Improving Vertical Jump Height

New research is shedding light on the importance of improving vertical jump height in basketball. Backed by data, these findings are an eye-opener for coaches because researchers say jump height can positively affect other facets of a player’s game.

handball analytics from LPS player tracking systems were used in a study to find quality scorers.
How LPS Data Helps Handball Coaches Find Quality Scorers with New Insights

Researchers used LPS data and machine learning to create a new model for predicting goals in handball. It’s now helping coaches identify their quality scorers and develop better strategies. Here’s how. 

Basketball video analysis software is used to improve the amount of contested shots players take.
Innovative Strategy Boosts Player’s 3-Point Accuracy to 60% in Conference Games

Do you have players struggling with contested 3‑point shots? Get to know a college coach with a proven method to boost shooting efficiency for high-intensity shots in as little as four weeks. 

a gps football tracker monitors college players' workloads to decrease the risk of hamstring strains.
Research Exposes What Puts College Football Players at Risk for Hamstring Strains

Hamstring strains are common among male college American football players. Researchers have been investigating potential risk factors to better understand and prevent these injuries, and they believe they have identified three that all coaches should track.

Phillip Tandrup Holm is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Skjern Håndbold, a Danish handball club he used to play for.
Former Handball Pro Shares His Personal Must-Know Metric for Coaches

Call it inside information, but a former pro handball player, who is now a strength and conditioning coach, says one metric seems to stand out when it comes to load management in handball.

Arizona State women's volleyball team discovered with analytics that his team was practicing too long.
How Volleyball Metrics Helped Power Arizona State University to a Record-Setting Season

The Arizona State University Women’s Volleyball team used data to determine their optimal practice length, and it culminated in one of their best seasons in school history.

the university of arizona sports performance training team collects data on all of their players to make sure everyone is ready to play when called upon.
The Secret Behind The University of Arizona’s Sports Performance Training Methods

Two key figures in the data-driven revolution at the University of Arizona are Jim Krumpos and Dayannara Munoz. They say there are three critical factors that make all the difference in their data collection efforts and training style.

Coaches who use a data-driven hockey software get better insights to make decisions.
What Data-Driven Hockey Software and Puck Data Can Do for Coaches and Players

The power of data in ice hockey is eye-opening. Analytics are enhancing player performance, strategic decision-making, and training development. But those aren’t the only ways data-driven hockey software is reshaping the game.