27 March 2024
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – The NFL is making a lot of noise, and this time, it isn’t from record-breaking TV numbers or Taylor Swift.
Rather, there are two major changes, including new tackling and kickoff rules. But will these rules be implemented at the lower level here in Kansas?
The answer is no. It is because the National Federation of State High School Associations has already passed its rules for the upcoming season, although that doesn’t mean future changes are out of the question.
“I’m sure now, with the change in the NFL, some proposals will come up, not just at the high school level but also at the NCAA level, to see whether or not these are the types of things we need to look at,” Mark Lentz, KSHSAA assistant executive director, said.
On Monday, NFL owners approved eliminating the hip-drop tackle. It prevents defensive players from grabbing another player with both arms, going limp, and swiveling to the ground.
The league says it results in a lot of lower-body injuries.
“I don’t think it’s been an issue at the high school level,” Lentz said. “As players get better and better and better, you know, then I think those things will take place, but I think our coaches do a good job at teaching the fundamentals of tackling.”
“The time when I got started to where we are now in how we teach tackling, you know, as far as keeping the kids heads up out of contact and stuff like that, we’re always looking to make it safer and better,” Bill Arnold, Hayden High School football coach,said.
The other rule changes the kickoff rule, and it is modeled after the XFL. The NFL’s change hopes to make the game safer. But for high school, Lentz says this change is unnecessary as of now due to the big difference in athleticism between the athletes.
“Sometimes they’re short, sometimes they’re pooch kicks, sometimes they’re squib kicks, so we don’t have those types of collisions at this point and time,” Lentz said. “If those collisions become that factor, then I think in high school football, you have to look at it.”
While kickoff changes are happening in the NFL now, Lentz says changes have been made to high school football kickoffs in the last few years. They include no more than a five yard start on a run and changing how many people need to line up on each side of the kicker.