NCAA likely to end preseason two-a-days and reduce tackling allowed at practices

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College football two-a-day practices appear to be ending. For safety reasons, the NCAA Sport Science Institute has recommended eliminating the popular two-a-day preseason practices and reducing contact at all practices, including limiting full contact to once a week during the season.

The recommendations, which are endorsed by 16 medical organizations and five football organizations, would put college football more in line with NFL rules adopted several years ago. NCAA members received the 17-page document last week at the NCAA Convention and now must decide whether to create legislation to fit the recommendations. If two-a-day practices end, the preseason could be extended by one week to accommodate the lost practice.

For generations of college football players, two-a-days have served as an annual ritual and grind each summer. Coaches use them to evaluate the toughness of players. Players try to survive these practices and some speak of creating bonds with teammates through two-a-days.

But the NCAA Sport Science Institute says preseason practices have the highest injury rate, whether through concussions, heat illness or overuse injuries. According to a Big 12 analysis of players from 2013-15, 58 percent of practice concussions during the entire season occur in the preseason

Other new NCAA recommendations include:

In-season practices: Allow three days per week of non-contact/minimal contact, one day of live contact/tackling, and one day of live contact/thud. Currently, the recommendation is no more than two live contact/tackling days. Live contact means tackling to the ground and/or full-speed blocking. Non-contact/minimal contact practices don't involve tackling, thud (in which players hit but don't take each other to the ground), or full-speed blocking.

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