NCAA exploring changes to the targeting rule

Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

By Chris Marler

There are very few things that college football fans can ever agree on.

The targeting rule being the bain of fans’ existence for years now is definitely one of them though. The rule has been around for nearly 20 years since it was introduced in 2008. The issue isn’t the rule itself: it’s the implementation of it, and subjectivity that goes along with referees enforcing it.

Targeting “rules” have ruined college football

— Kurvy Smart (@26_SAVage_) January 2, 2026

On top of all that, the severity of the rule is at its core a total game changer for the player involved and at least one team. The rule was initially brought to be to help prevent injuries, especially injuries to the head and neck area. In 2013 however, after not seeing a noticeable enough drop off in injured players as a result of targeting, launching, and helmet to helmet contact, the NCAA added a subsect to the rule that if a player is guilty of targeting he’s automatically ejected for the rest of the game.

The ejection part is the part that is now under review by the NCAA, and as it should. While the rule itself is being called less and less, the impact of the ejection is impacting sometimes multiple games across multiple seasons.

This is NOT targeting. Terrible officiating.#GoDawgs | #SugarBowl pic.twitter.com/kFyFcMpFIg

— Aaron Leicht (@aaronleicht) January 2, 2026

“What targeting has driven in terms of player behavior change has been really good and the numbers reflect that,” said the national coordinator of officials Steve Shaw. “But how can we continue this trend of taking out more of these hits we don’t want in the game while being less punitive?”

The most likely suggestion for change has been one that’s been floated around for a few years now. That is to model the penalty to mirror flagrant fouls in basketball. That would create different levels of severity to the penalty itself like a Level I and Level II category for targeting. Level I would be a 15 yard penalty while Level II would result in a 15 yard penalty and ejection.

That’s something that would seem to work for everyone and would be a great solution and simple fix. It might also mean targeting reviews that don’t take roughly an hour anymore either. That’s a win for everyone.