Rule changes coming to college football in 2025 include a crackdown on faking injuries and the addition of timeouts for extra periods.
The National Football Foundation announced several initiatives from the NCAA Football Rules Committee that cover player safety, pace of play, sportsmanship, use of technology and more.
To combat the practice of feigning injuries, a team will be charged with a timeout (or a delay penalty if it has no more timeouts) if a player presents as injured after the ball is spotted by the officials. That player must come out of the game for at least one down and may not return until receiving the approval of the team’s medical staff.
For games that go into overtime, each team will be allowed one timeout for the first extra period and one timeout for the second extra period. After that, teams are allowed only one more timeout from the start of the third extra period until the end of the game. Media timeouts are only allowed after the first and second extra periods.
Other rules changes include:
–When announcing the result of any review, the terms “confirmed” and “stands” will be replaced by “upheld.”
–Return specialists are no longer allowed to make the “T” signal when receiving a kick or punt.
–Defensive players within a yard of the line of scrimmage may not make quick, abrupt or exaggerated actions in an attempt to cause the offense to commit a penalty.
–If 12 or more defenders are on the field after the two-minute timeout in either half, the defense will be penalized and the offense will have the option to reset the game clock.
–Players may not use defensive signals that simulate the sound or cadence of offensive starting signals.
–Coach-to-player communications through the helmet will expand to the Football Championship Subdivision.
–Eye shields in helmets must be clear, not tinted.
–A player attempting to recover a loose ball is now considered a defenseless player.
–Simulating the firing or brandishing of a weapon will result in an automatic unsportsmanlike foul.