The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee approved several rule changes for college football in 2025 on Thursday, including one aimed at reducing “fake” injuries.
Under the new rule, if medical personnel enter the field to treat an injured player after the ball has been spotted, that player’s team will be charged a timeout. If that team has no more timeouts, they will receive a 5-yard delay of game penalty.
Teams appearing to fake injuries have become a hot topic in college football in recent years, as defenses try to find ways to slow down offenses without regrouping or “tempo.” The problem came to a head in 2024, when SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told league members in November it would begin assessing fines and possible suspensions for coaches of teams who appeared to “fake” injuries in order to stop the clock without using a timeout.
Other rules approved for 2025 by the Oversight Committee:
• Teams will only receive one additional timeout once a game reaches the third overtime period. In the past, teams were given an extra timeout for each overtime period.
• Replay decisions will only be announced as “confirmed” or “cancelled”. There will no longer be a distinction between “confirmed” and “stand,” the latter meaning there was not enough video evidence to overturn the call on the field, even if it appeared wrong.
• If a player from a returning team at kickoff makes the “T” signal, the game will be interrupted without any possibility of return. This rule change seems to respond to a confrontation between South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema during last season’s Citrus Bowl.
• Offensive players can no longer use the words “move” and “stem” before the snap to simulate defensive signals. This change improves a previous rule preventing defensive players from calling signals that simulate an instant count or cadence.
• If, after the two-minute timeout in either half, the defense commits a penalty with 12 or more players on the field and all players are participating in the play, the offensive team will have the option to reset the clock to the time before play. This change appears to relate to the end of the game. Ohio State-Oregon game last Octoberin which the Ducks apparently took an intentional illegal participation penalty in order to buy time.
