College football approves new rule to stop fake injuries in 2025 season

College football officials are looking to finally rein in teams that have their players fake injuries to stop games with a new rule change that takes effect in 2025.

NCAA brass are hoping to stop college football teams from having their player fake injuries with a new rule starting in 2025. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

College football is looking to crack down on teams instructing players to fake injuries, and the NCAA has approved a major rule change to combat the problem starting this season.

This year, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel has approved a change to injury timeout rules in football, beginning in the 2025-26 season, the National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday.

Under the new rule, if medical personnel are forced to enter the field of play to evaluate an injured player after the ball is spotted by the officiating crew, the player’s team will be charged a timeout by officials.

If that team has no timeouts remaining, then officials will assess a five-yard penalty against it.

Injured players will also not be permitted to return to the game until they have been formally cleared by the medical staff associated with their team.

A fake injury rule has been in the works

A proposal to confront perceived fake injuries was introduced by the NCAA Football Rules Committee this offseason after a consensus grew that some teams had asked their players to feign injuries in order to slow the momentum of a game and avoid taking a timeout.

One prominent case of what was considered a fake injury came when Ole Miss tailback Matt Jones fell to the ground after a play during a game last September.

At the time, college football rules analyst Matt Austin confirmed that the NCAA’s rule book doesn’t proscribe fake injuries directly, leaving officials without recourse to punish the act.

“There’s actually nothing in the rule book that says you cannot do that,” Austin said on the broadcast.

“There is very strong wording about being unethical to fake an injury at any time during the game. I know the rules-makers have talked about it several times, but as of right now, there’s nothing you in the book can do about it.”

Now there is, at least according to the rule book, and college football teams will be under pressure to curtail the practice, or else find themselves on the wrong side of the penalty flag.

College football rule changes in 2025

What are some of the other rule changes we'll see in college football in the 2025 season? | USA Today Sports | Imagn

Getting ahead of fake injuries won’t be the only change on the field this coming college football season, the National Football Foundation said.

Timeouts in extra periods

Each team is allowed a team timeout in each extra period of play. To ensure a quality pace of play, now each team will be given one timeout for the first extra period and another for the second extra period.

After the first two overtime periods, each team will get one timeout from the start of the third extra period until the game has ended.

Media timeouts will be allowed only after the first and second extra periods.

--

Instant replay announcements

The terms “confirmed” and “stands” will be replaced with the single label “Upheld” when the referee announces the result of any review process that determines the ruling on the field will not be overturned.

--

“T” signal on kicks

Return specialists are no longer allowed to make a “T” signal when receiving a kick or punt.

Indeed, any waving signal by any special teams return man is considered invalid, and any signal that is made deprives the receiving team the chance of advancing the ball.

--

Pre-snap movement

A defensive player positioned within a yard of the line of scrimmage cannot make quick or abrupt movements that simulate action at the snap and are not part of any normal defensive maneuver in an attempt to cause the offense to foul.

The offense will also be held to the same standard regarding any pre-snap motions that simulate game action at the snap.

--

Disconcerting signals

No players can use words or signals that disconcert opponents when they are preparing to put the football into play.

Players cannot use defensive signals that simulate the sound of, or interfere with, signals called by the offense.

--

Substitution fouls

A defense that commits a foul with more than 11 players on the field coming out of the two-minute timeout of either half will receive a five-yard penalty, and the offense will have the right to reset the clock to the original start time of the play. 

The option to reset the clock will not be given if the 12th player is trying to leave the field and has no influence on the play.

--