The NCAA Football Rules Committee has proposed changes to injury timeout rules during the 2025-26 season in an effort to reduce simulated injuries that slow the pace of a game. Among the proposed changes would be an automatic timeout imposed on teams whose medical personnel enter the field after the ball has been spotted by officials.
If the offending team has no more timeouts, it will be subject to a five-yard delay of game. The proposed rule change must still be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee, which is scheduled to meet April 16.
Players faking injuries were a burning problem for offseason discussions, as modern offenses move more toward fast-paced, no-huddle schemes. Often, a player will collapse to the ground well after a play is over, only to return to the game after a brief period on the sideline.
Normally, teams are not charged a timeout when the game is interrupted due to injury, although it often takes at least a few minutes for medical staff to evaluate a player and clear the playing field.
“The committee identified the period of time after the ball was spotted as the most egregious violation of the injury timeout rule and is approaching the issue that way,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who is co-chair of the NCAA rules committee, said in a statement. “Having a set amount of time for stopping play for an injured player should hopefully help reduce the strategy of having players fake injuries.”
This is the first major proposal put forward by the NCAA to address this growing problem, although individual conferences have taken initiatives in recent years. Midway through the 2024 season, the SEC announced it would penalize coaches who employ fake injuries with a public reprimand and fine, proportional to the number of infractions. A third offense could result in suspension.
It remains to be seen whether the NCAA will re-evaluate how it defines “flop” or “feign injury,” given concerns about legitimate injuries potentially being devalued due to the timing of their occurrence.
