When Texas A&M takes the field Thursday night in Columbia, S.C., the Aggies will be doing so with smart-chip footballs, a revolutionary technology used to track historical timelines of individual pigskins.

According to a press release, Big Game USA, the official manufacturer of official FBS college game balls, has embedded a ‘gametag’ near the football’s laces and can track the ball from the moment it leaves the factory using an app developed by Prova Group. Once tracking begins, the history of the ball is recorded and all activity is sent to a secure database operated by Prova.

“Gametag is cutting-edge technology that immediately changes the way game balls are authenticated, while also improving quality control of official college footballs we produce,” said Chris Calandro, founder of Big Game USA. “We love the idea that the life of our footballs can now be tracked and preserved alongside the history of the game.”

Prova’s technology can determine each football’s history including manufacturing date, whether or not it was used in practice or in a game and its total number of big plays. Prova’s app download will soon be available free via Google Play and later this fall in the Apple App store.

Mississippi St., Navy and Nebraska will also used gametag footballs this season.

“The days of marking footballs with ankle tape and Sharpies are long gone,” said Haroon Alvi, CEO of Prova Group. “The concept of smart chipping footballs leaves no room for error and is a game-changer for football, its fans and sports memorabilia collectors.”