Once again it seems that high school football needs to be no major rules changes. The only thing that I think players or coaches – particularly at lower levels – will notice is the new prohibition on mouthpieces with extra decoration on them. I’m not talking about those molded and colored to look like fangs. I’m talking about a new trend where they had plastic sparkly things or crosses that appeared to be metallic. They were designed to look like jewelry. I saw a couple rec and middle schoolers wearing them and I didn’t say anything because the rules were iffy. Well, not anymore. No bling of any type on the mouthpieces. I bet Dick’s will claim to parents that they’re legal and there will be a fit pitched when officials (or hopefully, coaches) say otherwise.
For those of you who thought we played by the NCAA rule that when a fumble goes forward and out of bounds it goes back to the spot of fumble, well, now you’re right. Closes the seldom-seen loophole where a runner, stopped short of a first down, could fumble and gain a first down if the ball happened to go out of bounds beyond the line to gain. In all my years I never saw it happen, but in case someone was thinking of it, they can now forget it.
Were any coaches or television crews planning to mic up players or put a camera on them? Can’t now. NFHS said so. Never saw that one, either. And players still can’t have an earpiece in their helmets. Sadly, I did see this, twice, in rec ball. SMDH.
The electronics device that is now allowed is signage that's on the sideline to communicate to players on the field. Still can’t take a tablet out there, but someone on the sideline can hold up an electronic sign that can be seen on the field. Please email me when that happens.
NFHS release about 2025 rules changes
For those of you who thought we played by the NCAA rule that when a fumble goes forward and out of bounds it goes back to the spot of fumble, well, now you’re right. Closes the seldom-seen loophole where a runner, stopped short of a first down, could fumble and gain a first down if the ball happened to go out of bounds beyond the line to gain. In all my years I never saw it happen, but in case someone was thinking of it, they can now forget it.
Were any coaches or television crews planning to mic up players or put a camera on them? Can’t now. NFHS said so. Never saw that one, either. And players still can’t have an earpiece in their helmets. Sadly, I did see this, twice, in rec ball. SMDH.
The electronics device that is now allowed is signage that's on the sideline to communicate to players on the field. Still can’t take a tablet out there, but someone on the sideline can hold up an electronic sign that can be seen on the field. Please email me when that happens.
NFHS release about 2025 rules changes
