A 5-Star Virginia Tech Helmet Rating Becomes Tougher to Attain

By Marty Maciaszek 
NSGA Team Dealer Director 

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has made it more difficult for products to earn a five-star rating. 

The helmet lab updated its rating system to include new thresholds for varsity and youth football helmets and bicycle helmets. The new grading scale is the result of the helmet industry’s growth toward better performance on the tests, according to researchers in a story from Virginia Tech. 

“Helmet manufacturers have made impressive strides over the past decade, and the improvements we’ve seen are real,” said Steve Rowson, the lab’s director. “Just like vehicle safety ratings that raise the bar as cars get safer, we’ve updated our thresholds to preserve the meaning of a top score as overall helmet performance improves.” 
 
Five is the top number a helmet can achieve in the STAR (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) system, which started 15 years ago to calculate a helmet’s performance. The lab conducts a series of impact tests to assign a number of stars. 
 
Rowson said most helmets tested were getting a five-star rating so the change will help return the rating’s original meaning as a data point of the top available helmet protection.

The result is fewer helmets achieving a five-star rating in each area: 

• Bicycle helmets from 167 reduced to 38 

• Varsity football helmets from 33 reduced to 11 

• Youth football helmets from 26 reduced to 6 

“While the bar for a five-star helmet is now higher, any helmet earning four or five stars continues to offer strong protection and remains a recommended choice,” Rowson said. “Overall, helmets are simply performing better and consumers should still feel confident choosing any four or five-star helmet.” 

LIGHT Helmets had the top-rated helmets in the Varsity (LIGHT Apache) and Youth (LIGHT Apache Lightning) ratings and four of the 11 5-star Varsity products. Certor Sports also had four 5-star products in the Varsity category with the VICIS ZERO2 coming in at No. 2. The Riddell Axiom was No.7 and the Orbit Pro from Xenith, which ceased operations in January 2025, was No. 3. 

“These updated ratings are monumental for football safety at every level,” Jeremy Erspamer, CEO of Certor Sports, parent company of Schutt and VICIS, said in a release from the company. “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.” 

The VICIS ZERO2 Youth was rated No. 2 in the youth category. Riddell’s Speed Flex Diamond Youth got a 5-star rating at No. 5. 

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab recommends players only wear helmets with a 5-star or 4-star rating. 

Go to the Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings to learn more. 

Certor Sports is a member and supporter of NSGA and Riddell is a member of NSGA.