Coaches Advocating For New Penalties For Players Faking Injuries

One of the more controversial parts of modern college football in the 2024 season was the increasing scourge of fake player injuries. Almost every game, there were obvious instances of players going down on purpose to stop the clock or provide a brief breather.

If the American Football Coaches Association has their way, however, those days might come to an end.

Yahoo Sport's Ross Dellenger reported Tuesday that the AFCA convention has been discussing ways to prevent fake injuries from further encroaching on the integrity of the game. With one potential solution presenting an obvious answer.

"Here’s an interesting discussion point in Charlotte at the AFCA convention to slow feigning injuries: Any injured player would be sidelined the rest of the drive," Dellenger posted on X. "Coaches could use a timeout to reinstate player. It’s expected to be on the agenda at head coaches’ meetings today."

COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 05: Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin complains to an official during the game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fixing Fake Player Injuries Would Be A Good Start In College Football

One of the poster coaches for the fake injuries epidemic is Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin has been a victim of it, thanks to his high-powered, fast-paced offense. And in recent months, he's advocated for a solution to the fake injury problem.

"I’m glad," Kiffin told reporters in 2024. "I know some people say, okay, that sounds weird coming from me. We’re a tempo offense. I’ve been saying this for years, okay, that faking an injury hurts us more than anybody — us and Tennessee — probably more than anybody in America."

But he's also been a chief practioner of it. 

Forcing the injured player to miss a series is a good start to combating the problem, though it wouldn't prevent coaches from sending in backups to "get hurt." And there are problems around say, the quarterback coming out for a player for a legitimate injury, but being forced to sit out the entire series because of the new rule.

Still, any progress towards a solution that ends these absurd videos is worth pursuing. Then we'll have to work on fixing the ridiculous defensive substitution-delay of game-timeout process that plays out every game too.