The Schutt F7 Pro by Schutt Sports was named to TIME’s List of the Best Inventions of 2026 for its breakthrough approach to football safety and rapid NFL adoption. Watch the video interview with Certor Sports (Schutt) CEO Jeremy Erspamer and FOX's Ryan Schmelz.
View the full video interview here: https://www.livenowfox.com/video/fmc-cjew2bwbfq07ie68
Video Summary:
Setup from the anchor
- The NFL says adoption of safer helmets is at an all-time high, and the F7 Pro is the league’s fastest-adopted helmet.
- About 800 players switched to it for the 2026–27 season.
- The F7 Pro features include a lightweight 3D-printed micro-lattice that bends to absorb impacts, and a soft-shell coating with more give than traditional polycarbonate.
Main points from the interview
- Development: the helmet took just over three years of R&D, with new materials, technologies and designs. The F7 line also reaches high school and youth leagues (the F7 AiR), not just the NFL.
- Looks and comfort matter: the anchor said it doesn’t sacrifice the look of a football helmet, unlikeother helmets or add-ons. Jeremy noted that protection comes first, but fit, feel, weight and style drive adoption. He mentioned the titanium facemask as a weight saver.
- What’s next for safety: the micro-lattice has “a lot of runway” for new structures and materials. He also pointed to tackling education, earlier medical detection and rule changes.
- The TIME honor: he called it “humbling, exciting, rewarding” and credited the R&D team and Smash Lab, the in-house impact-testing lab.
- NFL players: he named Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Drake Maye as early adopters who gave feedback. Elite reps also work with NFL and Division I equipment managers.
- Position-specific tuning: quarterbacks mostly take back-of-the-head-to-ground hits, running backs take hits to the top and front, and linemen take about 90% of their impacts low on the front of the helmet. The micro-lattice stiffness is “tuned” for each position.
- AI: he sees it mainly helping to process injury and impact data from the NFL, colleges and high schools, and to speed up design changes. Designs still have to be proven in lab-to-field testing.
Short quotes
- “This particular F7 Pro is a product that is so groundbreaking.”
- “Our first and foremost goal is protection.”
- “I think this helmet checks all the boxes.”
- “We put three years of blood, sweat and tears into it."
