There’s been quite a bit of talk around rule changes in college football this offseason, with expansion being a key topic as deliberations are ongoing on whether to move the College Football Playoff to 24 teams.
That’s not the only rule change, however, as the NCAA introduced a new punt formation rule for the 2026 season. And coaches do not like it, especially in the Big Ten, where Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell and every other Big Ten coach voted against it, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The new rule stipulates that the snapper and the players lined up on each side of them automatically become ineligible receivers on punt players when certain jersey number exceptions are used. The rule was to combat coaches disguising players as eligible receivers during fake punts, taking away an element of surprise for special teams coaches.
Additionally, according to Tennessee Tech special teams coordinator Frank Wilson Jr., here are the other major changes:
- Formations must be 2×2 on either side of the snapper, unless there are five players wearing Nos. 50 to 79 on the line of scrimmage.
- Players are locked into the 2×2 formation with the guards and tackles in or touching the tackle box. No shifting is allowed, and they are ineligible.
- If five players wearing Nos. 50-79 are on the line of scrimmage, then the normal football rules of shifting and eligibility apply.
- If a team elects to change player jerseys to alleviate numbering exceptions, a team may fill out a form and present it to referees at pregame meetings, and an announcement will be made prior to the play about the changes.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz voiced his displeasure with the rule change, believing that the original rules were good as is.
“There’s no compelling reason to change it. It was already perfectly fine,” Ferentz said, via Thamel.
In addition, on a recent podcast, ESPN’s Rece Davis said that coaches universally hate the rule change, noting, like Ferentz said, that nobody asked for it nor do they want it.
According to a USA Today report, an unofficial survey of Division I coaches held a 61-1 vote against the rule. That’s quite the discrepancy.
