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College Football Is Considering Drastic Rule For Faking Injuries

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Jan 14, 2025 10:09 AM ET

The national championship will be decided in a matter of days, but there's another big discussion in college football that's been centered around one of the year's biggest controversies.

According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, a new rule change is being discussed at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention for 2025. The new rule looks to stop or drastically reduce the number of fake injuries that occur in college football.

The rule would force injured players out for the rest of that specific drive, preventing them from collapsing to the ground with the same injury for multiple plays in a row - artificially stopping the clock and potentially giving their team free stoppages in play.

Dellenger says that in order to reinstate an injured player on a drive, the head coach would need a timeout.

Here's an interesting discussion point in Charlotte at the AFCA convention to slow feigning injuries: Any injured player would be sidelined the rest of the drive. Coaches could use a timeout to reinstate player.

It's expected to be on the agenda at head coaches' meetings today.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 14, 2025

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who has been criticized for appearing to have players feign injury during games, was a huge supporter of the potential new rule.

“I’m glad. I know some people say, okay, that sounds weird coming from me," Kiffin said about the injury-faking issue earlier this season.

"We’re a tempo offense. I’ve been saying this for years, okay, that faking an injury hurts us more than anybody — us and Tennessee — probably more than anybody in America.”

Teams will usually appear to fake injuries or have players suddenly take a knee or hit the ground in order to stop the clock. Several big names in college football have discussed this issue throughout the season, and it appears that the the sport's top minds are considering a possible change.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 09: General view during the Penn State Nittany Lions versus Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

"As plainly as it can be stated: stop any and all activity related to faking injuries to create time-outs," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a memo given to teams earlier this season.

"Your team should be prepared to compete fairly under the rules of the game. When defending against a 'hurry-up' offense, you are to use the allocated team time-outs if you need to stop play, or you may allow the play to continue with the personnel and defensive play call in place."

Sankey was one of the first in the sport to formally address the issue this year, and it seems that the fake injury problem will be addressed on a national level next season.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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