There are some changes coming to college football, and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is optimistic that one new feature will greatly benefit the offense.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee approved a new layout Thursday that will make this year's college football game mirror, in some ways, the National Football League. Starting with the 2024 season, each school at the FBS level will be able to use coach-player communication to his one player on the field via the helmet. That player is identified by a green dot on the back midline of the player's helmet.
According to the NCAA, communications from coaches to players will be turned off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.
A feature that has been primarily promoted by defensive coaches in the sport, the Ole Miss frontman is looking to add direct verbal communication between himself and his offensive players (presumably the quarterback). , believes it opens the door for his highly successful play-calling abilities to improve even further. It's more dynamic than in years past.
“Offensively, I think it's like putting a cheat code in Madden. I don't know if they've really thought about it defensively, what that actually means,” Kiffin said. Ta. “I think the assumption there is just, ‘Oh, I’m talking to the quarterback,’ but it’s actually a lot more than that, especially when it comes to the way we run the offense… certain things offensively. If you do, I think that's a cheat code offensively.”
In three of his four years at the helm in Oxford, Kiffin's offense has ranked in the top three in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Rebels finished the 2023 season ranked No. 3 in the SEC offensively and had the first 11-win season in program history, capping it off with a victory in the Peach Bowl.
Veteran signal caller Jackson Dart will return to action at Ole Miss for his senior season after throwing for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions last year. He joins a returning corps consisting of standout wide receiver Tre Harris, All-SEC tight end Kaden Preeskorn and reliable wideout Jordan Watkins, all ready to make an immediate impact. A group of established transfers will be added.
A new addition to college football this fall is the ability for schools in all three divisions to utilize tablets to watch in-game video. The video can include the broadcast his feed and camera angles from the coach's sideline and the coach's end his zone.
Teams can have up to 18 active tablets for use in the coaching booth, sideline and locker room. The Tablet may not be connected to other devices to project additional larger images or contain any analysis, data, data access features, or other communications access. All team staff will be allowed to view tablets during matches.
A two-minute timeout similar to the NFL's infamous two-minute warning will also be implemented this season. An official timeout will be automatically called when there are two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters. This rule change synchronizes all timing his rules, such as the 10-second runoff and stopping the clock when a first down is earned within bounds matching the two-minute timeout.
The 2024-25 college football season begins in August.
