Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology:Division I Football Student-Athletes May Be Slightly More Rested For Their First Game— Why?
Division I recently adopted a proposal that permits member schools’ football teams to begin their first day of pre-season practice 31 calendar days prior to their first date of competition— increasing the timeline by two-days from the prior 29-calendar day standard.
This new 31-day window provides institutions more flexibility in the preseason without changing the acclimatization period or the limit of 25 on-field practices prior to the institution's first scheduled intercollegiate contest.
This new approach creates additional opportunities for institutions to provide student-athletes rest. By not increasing the number of on-field practices, the adopted proposal provides institutions discretion to determine whether or not to provide football student-athletes additional opportunities for rest during the preseason. Also noteworthy is that bringing football student-athletes in two days earlier than prior years also presents a potential increase in costs for lodging and meal service.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
