Football helmets have evolved dramatically from the days of leather caps, but the quest for better protection is far from over.
Kodiak Brush, a former MIT linebacker, is taking that mission personally. And the results speak for themselves. The helmet he helped develop just earned the highest safety score ever recorded by the gold-standard Virginia Tech Helmet Lab.
Brush, now working with California-based LIGHT Helmets, has combined athletic experience with engineering smarts to tackle one of football’s most persistent problems: head injuries. His team’s creation, the Apache, marks a breakthrough in both design and materials. And it’s not just theory- it’s already making its way onto NFL fields.
Redefining Helmet Safety
The Apache helmet stands out thanks to its ultralight construction, which Brush says was key to the design. “The goal was simple—reduce weight, reduce force,” he explained on MIT’s website. LIGHT Helmets focused on redistributing weight to lower kinetic energy without compromising structural integrity.
To get there, the team dissected existing helmets and rethought the entire framework. The result? An “impact-modified nylon shell” paired with a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane liner. That liner compresses more than twice as much as traditional foam, absorbing far more impact on contact.
Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab, widely recognized as the industry benchmark, confirmed the helmet’s effectiveness. According to MIT, the Apache earned the highest safety rating in the lab’s rigorous testing process.
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That success is translating into real-world adoption. LIGHT Helmets reports that at least one player on 30 of the NFL’s 32 teams wore a helmet in 2024. After selling 5,000 units last year, the company expects a staggering 1,000% increase in sales for 2025.
This surge suggests Brush’s vision is catching on across the sport. While no helmet can eliminate concussions, his contribution might be the most promising leap forward yet. As football continues to grapple with the long-term risks of head trauma, innovations like the Apache offer a much-needed step in the right direction.
