Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; ACC commissioner Jim Phillips speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Intriguing ACC rule change will have impact on FSU football

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Jackson Bakich | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 2:25 PM ET

The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced that the league will require player availability reports for football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball this upcoming season.

For these sports, programs must disclose whether a player is "available," "questionable," "doubtful," or "out" before conference matchups — similar to the NFL's procedure for injury disclosures. The SEC also implemented a similar injury reporting system last season.

Football will be required to share a player's status 48 hours before kickoff, one day before kickoff, and two hours before kickoff.

For the other sports mentioned, just the 24-hour and two-hour reports are necessary.

Per ESPN's Andrea Adelson and David Hale, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips announced that the move is a step toward curbing gamblers' attempts to harass players and gain inside information regarding their status.

"There's stresses on our student-athletes from individuals who are trying to garner information," Phillips said, per Hale. "Sometimes it's pretty innocent. They just want to know because they're a big fan. But other times it leads into the gambling and sports wagering path."

The ACC commissioner also shared that teams that fail to properly participate in this requirement will be fined, although there is no penalty amount currently set.

Phillips also declared that he received no pushback from schools when he shared the news of the plan with them. The commissioner referred to the institution of the rules as "the right thing to do."

As mentioned earlier, the SEC instituted a similar injury reporting requirement within conference play last season. There did not appear to be a mention of an interconference injury report requirement.

Typically, Florida State has played injuries close to the vest with head coach Mike Norvell choosing to withold specific details pertaining to players who haven't been ruled out for the season. In recent years, the Seminoles have provided an injury report on gamedays in the hours leading up to kickoff.

Now that the operation will be more open, it'll be interesting to see if Norvell provides more specifics during press conferences.

Florida State plays two SEC squads as the bookends to its regular season (Alabama and Florida, respectively).

The Seminoles will kick off their season against the Crimson Tide on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Tallahassee.