ATHENS, Ga. — The XFL kickoff system is coming to the NFL. And that means college football might not be far behind.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, a member of the College Football Rules Committee, said he and game officials aim to make kickoffs more meaningful and safer. he said. As such, they will be subject to new NFL rules approved Tuesday.
“I think the NFL is the model. They know what they want. They know what they're going to do,” Smart said Tuesday. “And I think they'll get it right, and hopefully, if kickoff isn't part of our game, we can look into it ourselves.”
Just like the NFL, it's no longer part of the college game. Due to safety concerns, both leagues moved kickoffs to the 35-yard line, resulting in more touchbacks but less excitement in the plays.
According to TruMedia, kickoff touchback rates at the FBS level have increased significantly over the past five years.
- 2023: 49.6%
- 2022: 49 percent
- 2021: 47.6%
- 2020: 41.2%
- 2019: 43.6%
Seeking balance, the XFL devised the kickoff rule two years ago, which the NFL has now adopted.
- Kickoffs are still from 35 yards, but now the kicking team has 10 players lined up on the opponent's 40-yard line, and the receiving team has nine players lined up on their own 35-yard line, with two returners downfield. Athletes lined up.
- The kickoff team may not move until the ball lands within the 20-yard line.
- Touchbacks are moved to the receiving team's 30.
The motive is to allow for return kicks, but players don't sprint downfield and have suffered serious injuries in the past.
Georgia knows this all too well, having seen Southern University opponent Devon Gales paralyzed by the impact of a kickoff in a 2015 game. The sprinting at kickoffs makes it easier for athletes to pull muscles, which is another reason why coaches accepted the rule change.
But the lack of a kickoff had its drawbacks. Of course, there will be less drama. But Smart also talked about developing young players who get used to the speed of the game on special teams. That was a concern at both the college and NFL levels.
“Charlie Warner, Dean Nakobe, they played 10 times as many snaps on special teams in their first year as they did at their (normal) positions,” Smart said, naming two players who went on to the NFL. Ta. “But those snaps are meaningless now because of fair catches and touchbacks. So if you want to develop your roster, you need special teams to develop that. We do the same. I feel like we develop the roster through special teams. If a player last year started on every unit (on special teams), (he's) probably going to start at a position this year as well. . So those plays need to be a part of that. But we need to make sure they're safe.”
Smart said the kickoff concerns came up during a joint meeting of NFL and university officials. They cited a significant increase in touchbacks and a decrease in returned punts due to punters becoming much better at hang time. There are currently no major proposals to encourage more returnable punts, but the NFL is hoping it has a good plan for kickoffs. Smart people and people at the university level will be paying attention this year.
“I saw pictures of how they were lined up (with the new rules),” Smart said. “They talked about it with us, and it would be less of a violent hit. My understanding is that it's a reward for getting it back, or getting it out of the end zone.” It's also a penalty for kicking the ball out of the end zone, which encourages kicking the ball in the field of play because the ball will travel farther.”
(Photo by Josh Turbyville: Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA Today)
