Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire has been advocating change to the college football calendar for quite some time. Part of his plea has centered around doing what’s needed from August through December to end the season on New Year’s Day.
McGuire’s also been in favor of college football programs adopting a more NFL-style model for on-field workouts in spring and summer. That could be coming next year.
The Division I FBS Oversight Committee has introduced a proposal to change the current legislation governing spring practice and summer workouts to two out-of-season practice periods with a total of 21 on-field workouts. The duration of the two practice periods may not exceed seven weeks, and neither practice period may exceed five weeks.
For preseason practice — that is, the usual August camps — FBS teams would be allotted a 27-day window to have 21 practices, down from the current 25.
McGuire said he likes the thought of about 12 spring practices and then eight NFL-style OTAs [organized team activities] in June.
“We’re not going to have any contact in July, as far as here [at Texas Tech],” McGuire said, “because I think at some point you’ve got to take some of that off your body, the contact you’re having. But I’m really excited about what we can do in June as far as being around them [the players], have more time and have true organized [activities]. Instead of having a player-led 7-on-7, now those OTAs, you can have a coach-led 7-on-7. You could be out there and be a part of it.”
Another proposal in the package would shorten the NCAA transfer-portal window for the FBS to 10 days starting on the first business day after Jan. 1.
The changes are subject to a final oversight committee vote in August. If adopted, they will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Currently, FBS teams have 15 spring practices.
At this time of year, NCAA rules currently allow a weekly eight hours of countable athletically related activities with coaches present. Six hours are conditioning work such as weight lifting and running. Two hours can be individual skill workouts. The latter, however, are drills “on air” and how to line up and make checks, but not physical contact with another player.
Outside of that, players are free to organize training sessions among themselves.
Last year, McGuire said Tech players’ summer workout structure included one-hour workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays, lifting and running on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and optional days or recovery time on Saturdays.
Discussing the proposed changes this week, McGuire said, “I think we did 12 or 13 workouts for spring football. We’ll reduce those even a little bit less [if the proposed format passes].
“I’m not going to put pads on in the summer, but we may be in helmets just to be more protected. But we’re going to be able to do more of your traditional OTAs like you do in the NFL. I think that’s good, especially in June. I haven’t got to see the whole calendar. I do not think they should have any contact in July.”
The Division I Oversight Committee noted that making additional practice opportunities available in the spring and summer warranted reducing preseason camp by four days and the number of preseason practices from 25 to 21.
McGuire said that makes sense.
“There’s so many things we do because we’ve always done it this way,” he said. “Like, I was excited that they’re reducing the time camp-wise. Camp’s so long, and we’re the only football entity that doesn’t have a preseason game.
“Even in high school, you have preseason scrimmages. The reason camp was like that was players didn’t report until August. Well, we have them all summer, so they’re in a lot better condition to be able to play a game, and so shortening that makes sense. So I’m excited with the changes of the calendar.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: NCAA’s out-of-season overhaul suits Joey McGuire, Texas Tech football
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
