Stanford really wants Christian McCaffrey to win the Heisman Trophy and it has come up with quite a creative way to make a final pitch for the star running back.
On Friday, Stanford Athletics pounded the Internet with a 360-degree, virtual reality video to experience McCaffrey's hard work and highlights through the season. The video was especially made to fit the 360-degree video platforms from YouTube and Facebook, but users' browsers or apps need to be fully updated to experience the clip on either.
Built by Strivr Labs CEO and founder Derek Belch, who also supplies virtual reality training programs to various teams in the NCAA and NFL, the near-90-second video "is meant to get people talking," right up until the voting deadline for the Heisman strikes Monday at 5 p.m. EST.
"The goal was to put the bug in voters' ears in a new and innovative way for when you cast your votes to think of Christian McCaffrey," Belch tells Tech Times. "We wanted to get people talking with it."
The groundbreaking 360-degree video experience captures several of McCaffrey's highlights through this season, whether it's catching passes out the backfield or juking and escaping tackles on the ground. If your Facebook app is updated, you'll be able to tilt and rotate your smartphone to enhance the 360-degree, virtual reality experience of the clip.
Even without the video, McCaffrey's play speaks for itself this season, as the 6-1, 201-pound sophomore running back has rushed for 1,847 yards and eight touchdowns on 319 carries, while hauling in 41 receptions for an additional 541 yards and four more TDs. That being said, the video only adds to his prowess this year.
Joining the Cardinals rusher as a favorite candidate for the Heisman Trophy are Alabama running back Derrick Henry and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, while Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and Florida State running back Dalvin Cook are also in the shuffle.
But none of the aforementioned have a cutting-edge virtual reality, 360-degree video as their final pitch the way McCaffrey does.
We'll see how much it helps, as the Heisman presentation show will air at 8 p.m. EST Saturday on ESPN.
