VICIS, Schutt Helmets Top Updated Virginia Tech Football Safety Ratings

PLAINVIEW, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 17, 2025--

This week, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab recalibrated its helmet testing protocols to better reflect how well helmets manage impacts tied to concussion risk, and bothVICISandSchutthelmets continue to meet and exceed these more rigorous safety standards while other popular models drop in rating.

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This shift aims to ensure that 5-star ratings reflect only the most advanced protection available. As a result, the number of youth football helmets earning a 5-star rating decreased by more than 75%, with only six helmets earning a top rating.

The VICIS ZERO2 Youth helmet now remains among one of only two 5-star-rated youth helmets readily available for purchase.

“These updated ratings are monumental for football safety at every level,” said Jeremy Erspamer, CEO of Certor Sports, parent company of Schutt and VICIS. “They re-establish what it means to be a top-performing helmet and provide a clearer roadmap for parents and coaches to choose the best protection for their athletes. We are proud that VICIS and Schutt helmets continue to set the gold standard as we protect the future of the game.”

Virginia Tech’s STAR (Summation of Tests for the Assessment of Risk) system evaluates helmets based on how well they reduce head acceleration in sports-specific impact scenarios tied to concussion risk. With stricter thresholds, only helmets with exceptional performance now earn the highest 5-star designation.Virginia Tech Helmet Lab only recommends players wear helmets that receive a 5-star or 4-star rating.

In the Youth Football Helmet category, the VICIS ZERO2 Youth earned a 5-star rating, placing it in the top tier for impact protection. Multiple Schutt helmets received a 4-star rating, reaffirming the brand’s reputation among parents, coaches, and programs seeking elite-level head protection.

In the Varsity Football Helmet category, only 11 varsity helmets received 5 stars, including four from Certor Sports, the most of any other brand. The VICIS ZERO2 and VICIS ZERO2 TRENCH remain standout performers, both earning a 5-star rating under the tightened benchmarks. The Schutt F7 2.0 was recognized for its superior impact severity reduction, also receiving a 5-star rating.

“These new ratings should be a wake-up call with Virginia Tech no longer recommending some of the most commonly used helmets in youth and varsity football,” Erspamer said. “Just because a helmet is widely used doesn’t mean it’s the safest. This should be a moment of reckoning for the entire football ecosystem, from manufacturers to coaches and parents. We owe it to young athletes to go beyond familiarity and focus on verified protection.”

Certor Sports' continued innovation and leadership in protective design ensures that its helmets consistently rank among the safest in the game, an achievement made more meaningful by the raised bar.

To learn more about VICIS helmets, visit www.vicis.com, and to learn more about Schutt helmets, visit www.schuttsports.com.

About Certor Sports

Certor Sports, LLC, located in Plainfield, Indiana, is a domestic sporting goods manufacturer and parent company for leading protective and equipment brands, including VICIS, Schutt Sports, and TUCCI. From protection to performance, Certor Sports has developed emerging technologies used by MVP-caliber professionals to youth athletes competing each weekend. To learn more, visit www.certorsports.com.

The VICIS ZERO2 Youth helmet is one of only two 5-star-rated youth helmets available to youth athletes.

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)