Tag: NCAA rules

Here is how the NCAA hopes to speed up College Football games

Will these proposed rules change the way that you watch football?

The casual College Football fan will tell you that they enjoy every second of the fall, as the sport consumes most of their weeks during the months of August until January.

The NCAA, however, is looking to implement four new rules that could shave up to 20 plays off of each game.

According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated, the NCAA is proposing several rules that involve clock management in an effort to speed up games, as well as cut down on several health risks.

These projected rules, if passed, would go into effect this fall. However, officials of the NCAA are still weeks away from learning if these proposed rule changes will be approved.

Here’s a look at the changes that could be coming to College Football this fall according to Sports Illustrated:

College football’s targeting and related ejection rules in 2022-23, explained

Breaking down the NCAA’s targeting rules and the latest updates to them.

One of college football’s most controversial rules is targeting. Some people dislike it entirely, some want adjustments made to the rule and some don’t quite understand what it is.

While targeting certainly plays a role for teams during the regular season, we’ve seen it have an impact on the College Football Playoff games as well. One of the biggest examples recently was when Clemson star linebacker James Skalski was ejected for targeting in two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances.

There are essentially two variations of targeting: one that focuses on the crown of a player’s helmet and one that focuses on a defenseless player. We’ll break down both.

And as the NCAA continues regularly updating its rulebook, keeping track of what is targeting and the details of that penalty can be challenging. That’s OK because we’re simplifying it and breaking it all down.

Report: NCAA proposing less physicality in college football preseason workouts

The NCAA will consider new recommendations to have less physicality in preseason camps for college football.

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We may see some significant changes to the way college football teams prepare for the season this fall. According to a report from CBS Sports, new recommendations have been submitted to the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee on Thursday that could result in new rules.

These recommendations include:

  • Reducing the amount of full-padded practices from 21 to eight
  • Limiting each team to two full scrimmages
  • Banning collision drills like the ‘Oklahoma Drill’

The rule changes were suggested due to new data that has come from a five-year study that has found that most injuries and brain trauma in football happen outside of live games.

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Locked on Longhorns: ‘New NCAA rules for 2020 college football season’

Locked on Longhorns Podcast discusses the new NCAA rules. Plus an update to the running backs and 2021 RB names top four schools.

Locked on Longhorns Podcast on Wednesday started off the show discussing the new NCAA rule changes for 2020. With the targeting rule changing, does it make sense? What are some of the new guidelines for officials? What about the restricted area? Cami and Patrick go over a handful of the new rules and how they impact the upcoming season.

Head coach Tom Herman has been reluctant to name a starter at running back. So will there be a starter or is this running back by committee? Will they ride the hot hand? Plus who do we think sees the most action against UTEP?

ESPN released their updated SP+ rankings. Where do they see Texas finishing? What are their rankings for offense and defense? Are they reasonable. Plus we discussed where USA TODAY Sports is projecting the Big 12 to finish.

Texas 2021 target at running back LJ Johnson finally revealed his top four schools for his commitment. Any surprises? The Longhorns also offered 2022 USC commit. Plus the award named after Longhorns Legend Earl Campbell named their watchlist. Who made the list? We breakdown the list from a Big 12 perspective.

NCAA to allow athletes to wear commemorative and memorial patches on uniforms

Athletes can display messages of support for social justice causes on their uniforms.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has voted to allow student-athletes in all sports to wear patches on their uniforms for commemorative and memorial purposes, as well as to support social justice issues.

Currently commemorative patches are banned in a number of NCAA sports, while others don’t address the issue in their rule books.

The move comes as a number of professional sports leagues in America have allowed athletes to wear special messages on their uniforms to honor the current social justice movement in the country.

The following is from a release from the NCAA regarding patch placement, subject, and size:

“Panel members, who met by videoconference last week, reaffirmed and expanded existing rules, which will now allow student-athletes two places on the uniform, one on the front and one on the back, to express support and voice their opinions.

“The patch on the front, which most sports already allowed, as authorized by the school or conference, may be a commemorative/memorial patch (names, mascots, nicknames, logos and marks) intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes.

“The patch must not exceed 2¼ square inches and must be placed on the front or sleeve of the uniform. While not all team members are required to wear the patch, they must be identical for those who choose to wear them.

“The second location is on the back of the uniform where the player name is traditionally located and, as authorized by the school or conference, will allow names/words intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes. The names or words may vary by team member.”

Elsewhere with the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, the sideline box in football has been extended from between the 25-yard lines to between the 15-yard lines to help with social distancing. Also, coin tosses will be restricted to two officials and one captain from each team.

In soccer a player ejected for spitting on an opponent will be suspended for two games, up from one game and in volleyball the teams will no longer switch benches.

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Huge Step Taken for College Football’s Return for 2020

If you’re hoping for college football to be played in 2020 then you got some big-time good news as a huge hurdle was cleared on Thursday.

Mark your calendars for July 13.

The NCAA Football Oversight Committee today passed a recommendation that can formally begin working with their teams that day according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

The recommendation still needs approval by the NCAA’s Division I Council but that passing is reported by Yahoo! to essentially be a foregone conclusion.

Here’s how the schedule looks like it will break down and get college football started on time, at least for now:

July 13:  Coaches can work with their teams with strength workouts and film studies taking place. This date will come a week earlier for those teams participating in Week Zero this August.  This will be limited to eight hours a week.

July 24:  The eight hour limit would move to 20 hours a week for a two week period starting on this day.  This will be a new addition used to get players in playing shape for the season after spending the majority of spring and the early part of summer away.

August 7:  Training camp is allowed to begin.

August 29:  Week Zero kicks off as scheduled for seemingly all teams besides Notre Dame and Navy.

By no means does this guarantee anything in regards to the season being played as the situation remains plenty fluid but it is no question a huge step towards college football being played on time in 2020.

Related:  Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2020 Notre Dame football

NCAA Again Extends Recruiting Dead Period

It’s not surprising news but Wednesday night the NCAA again extended their dead period for recruiting. Find out why and for how long here

What started in March as a reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak has continued to today and will go through at least July 31 as the NCAA has again extended their recruiting dead period.

From Wednesday evenings release from the NCAA:

The Division I Council Coordination Committee extended the recruiting dead period in all sports through July 31.

“The extension maintains consistent recruiting rules for all sports and allows coaches to focus on the student-athletes who may be returning to campus,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “The committee is committed to reviewing the dead period again in late June or early July.”

The committee will regularly evaluate the dead period, continuing to be guided by medical experts.

Virtual Physical Activities

Additionally, the committee decided to allow strength and conditioning coaches to virtually observe voluntary physical workouts for health and safety purposes but only if requested by the student-athlete. The measure goes into effect June 1. The strength and conditioning coach will be allowed to observe the workouts and discuss items related to voluntary workouts but not direct or conduct the workout.

The decision was supported by the Committee on Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Prevention and Performance Subcommittee. The subcommittee encouraged schools that decide to allow their strength and conditioning coaches to observe voluntary workouts to proactively consider the school’s overarching responsibility to protect the health of and provide a safe environment for each student-athlete. More specifically, the subcommittee stressed that schools should plan for how the strength and conditioning coach should respond if they observe an unsafe workout environment or in the event that a medical emergency occurs during a voluntary session.

The committee will continue to explore the opportunity for strength and conditioning coaches to conduct voluntary workouts virtually, as they do during in-person, on-campus voluntary workouts.

So with that announcement comes the end of any wishes of recruiting visits this summer.  The question now turns to the fall where we’re not certain games will even be played yet, let alone whether or not perspective student-athletes will be able to make their visits then.

NCAA Issues Additional Guidelines Related to Recruiting

This week the NCAA released a new set of rules in regards to the current dead period and some of the online meetings that have replaced that

On Wednesday the NCAA released the lengthy, three part piece in which it highlighted the necessary steps required before collegiate sports can resume.  They also added a few additional guidelines to the current, unprecedented rules against in-person recruiting.

The committee also granted waivers of recruiting rules effective May 11 to make them more flexible during the dead period the group imposed, which currently lasts through May 31. For example, any school staff member may participate on recruiting calls between a countable coach and a recruit. In normal circumstances, only coaches, and a few others in limited situations, may communicate with uncommitted prospective student-athletes via telephone or video calls.

The committee also lifted the restriction on the number of uncommitted prospective student-athletes (and their family members) who may participate in a recruiting call with a countable coach.

Additionally, current student-athletes may now participate in recruiting calls with coaches, as long as that time counts against the eight hours of countable athletics related activity that the committee permitted in all sports earlier this spring.

Finally, committed prospective student-athletes may participate in virtual team activities after completion of all academic requirements for high school graduation or transfer to a Division I school. Uncommitted prospects could on one occasion observe such activities but not participate.

It feels like the NCAA is much like you and me, learning more about Zoom meetings in the last six weeks than we had probably in all of our years previous, combined.

This new sets of rules does however pull back the curtain on some of the ways coaching staffs are evolving their recruiting efforts right now with group Zoom meetings full of recruits or potential targets getting to experience what a team meeting is like, even if it’s only done over the internet.

I don’t find myself as interested in all the NCAA rules with cyber-recruiting as much as I’m curious how this changes recruiting in the years to come.  Will campus visits turn into less of a thing?

That’s hard to imagine but if you can visit with a ton more schools and teams virtually, it’d certainly give that 16 year old a chance to open their eyes to something you may not have considered otherwise.

NCAA approves new rule changes ahead of 2020 CFB season

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new rule changes for the 2020 college football season.

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new approved rules regarding targeting, instant reviews, jersey numbering, clock management and referee jurisdiction.

  1. Targeting

Players that are called for targeting will now be allowed to remain on the sidelines with their team. Previously, players that were called for targeting were required to spend the rest of the game in the locker room.

2. Instant Review

Pace of play has been a recent point of concern for the NCAA. As the aspect of video review expands every year, the average pace of play increases and now games approach the four-hour mark more often. To combat the increased game times, the NCAA approved a rule that limits reviews that are not “end of game reviews” and reviews that are “exceedingly complicated” to two minutes.

3. Jersey Numbers

Players are now allowed to wear the same numbers, regardless of position, as long as they are not on the field at the same time. Additionally, the number “0” is now allowed.

4. Clock Management

In previous years, if officials believed there was time remaining at the end of the game, the play could be reviewed and if video proved there was any time remaining, referees held the power to put that amount of time back on the clock. Now, if review proves there was time remaining on the clock, it has to be at least three seconds or the game is over.

5. Referee Jurisdiction

In 2020, referees will hold control over the games 90 minutes before kickoff. In previous years, officials held control of the game 60 minutes before kickoff. The NCAA hopes that the extra time will limit the negative interactions between teams during warm-ups.

NCAA Extends Recruiting Dead Period

It’s not a surprise by any means but the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon that the recruiting dead period has been extended.

It’s not a surprise by any means but the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon that the recruiting dead period has been extended.

From the NCAA offices:

It’s not a surprise as early on Thursday we saw Florida implement stay-home guidelines and just days ago President Trump extended the command to continue to socially-distance until the end of May.

What Does It Mean for Recruits/Coaches?

Pretty much that they just can’t meet in person.  The stories we’ve heard about running game coordinator Lance Taylor showing up in North Carolina regularly to see coveted Will Shipley will continue to be paused.

However, coaches can still reach out to recruits by phone call, text message, Facetime/Skype calls or if they’re really feeling good about themselves, by sliding into their DM’s.

April is a wash for this and at this point, May appears iffy at very best in terms of visits occurring.  My best guess is that we’ll see a one-time rule change for visits to be made under these extreme circumstances.