Decoding the Controversial: An Explanation of the NCAA Targeting Rule
One of the most debated rules in college football is targeting. While its purpose is to enhance player safety, many find its enforcement inconsistent and its consequences severe, potentially altering the outcome of a game. Some fans dislike it entirely, some want adjustments made to the rule and others simply just don’t understand what exactly targeting is in college football. Even coaches sometimes struggle, concluding that avoiding a targeting hit would require a player to approach a play awkwardly.
This article aims to simplify and clarify the NCAA targeting rule, addressing common misconceptions and outlining its various facets. As the NCAA continues regularly updating its rulebook, keeping track of what is targeting and the details of that penalty can be challenging. That’s OK because we’re simplifying it and breaking it all down.
What Constitutes Targeting?
The NCAA defines targeting as any action that "goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball." The NCAA’s targeting rule prohibits players from initiating forcible contact against an opponent.
There are essentially two variations of targeting: one that focuses on the crown of a player’s helmet and one that focuses on a defenseless player. We’ll break down both.
This encompasses two primary scenarios:
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- Leading with the Crown of the Helmet: Initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.
- Contacting a Defenseless Player: Making forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, shoulder, arm, or hand.
In essence, the rules are designed to protect both the player being hit, as well as the one doing the targeting. Basically, don’t lead with the crown of your helmet when making any kind of tackle, and don’t go after a player’s head or neck area.
Crown of the Helmet
Starting with the 2022 season, the rulebook’s definition of “crown of the helmet” was updated to more precisely focus on the top of the helmet and is now defined as “the top segment of the helmet; namely, the circular area defined by a 6-inch radius from the apex (top) of the helmet.”
If a player leads with the crown of his helmet, it’s targeting whether or not the player is defenseless.
Defenseless Player
Of course, there’s more to targeting than a player making forcible contact with the crown of his own helmet. And this part is focused as much about the player committing targeting as the one on the receiving end of the tackle.
However, if a player is defenseless, you can’t initiate contact above the shoulders, even if you don’t lead with the crown.
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Players are also prohibited from targeting and making forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless player with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder.
And when dealing with a defenseless player - and when in question, the player is defenseless - there still needs to be at least one indicator of targeting. Some of the NCAA’s examples of a defenseless player include:
The NCAA defines a defenseless player as follows:
- A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass, and that includes "an offensive player in a passing posture with a focus downfield."
- A player attempting to catch a forward or backward pass, or a player who has completed a catch but hasn't had ample time to protect themselves or hasn't clearly become the ball carrier yet.
- A kicker in the act of kicking or just after kicking the ball.
- A player on the ground.
- A player who receives a blind-side block.
- A player with the ball who is already in the grasp of an opponent and whose forward progress has been stopped.
- A quarterback any time after a change of possession.
- A ball carrier purposely sliding feet first (like in the NFL, the ball is dead the instant a ball carrier slides feet first and touches the ground with anything other than their hands or feet)
Indicators of Targeting
For a targeting penalty, there needs to be an indicator of targeting, as opposed to uninitiated contact or when contact was unavoidable. When targeting is in question, it’s ruled a foul. However, there still needs to be at least one indicator of targeting, and instant replays must confirm the targeting call because there is no "stands" option.
Although these are not all the indicators of targeting, here are four key ones defined by the NCAA rulebook:
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Officials look to see:
- Launch: A player leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area.
- A crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area, even though one or both feet are still on the ground
- Leading with Force: Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area.
- Lowering the Head: Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.
A replay must confirm targeting. A targeting call is upheld if a player leads with the crown of their helmet regardless if a player is defenseless.
Penalties for Targeting
This is where things really get controversial with the targeting rule.
A violation of the targeting rule originally resulted in a 15-yard penalty. The rule was changed in 2013 to automatically eject players who are flagged for targeting, in addition to the 15-yard penalty.
If the refs determine a player committed a targeting foul, that player is ejected from the game, and the opposing team gets 15 yards. But here’s a crucial part: The disqualification must be reviewed. And again, when in doubt, it’s targeting.
- First Half Ejection: If a player is disqualified for a targeting penalty in the first half, they are disqualified for the rest of the game.
- Second Half Ejection: If a player is flagged for targeting in the second half, he’s out for the rest of the game and the first half of the next game. If it happens in the second half of the last game of the season and is still eligible to play the following season (and does), the suspension will be served in the first game of the next season.
- Three Targeting Fouls: And if one player commits three targeting fouls in the same season, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension in the next scheduled matchup.
A few years ago, the NCAA made a slight change to what happens to an ejected player. Since 2013, players disqualified for targeting were required to go to the locker room. However, ahead of the 2020 season, the NCAA said players ejected for targeting don’t have to leave the sideline and can remain in the team area.
The NCAA made a critical change last season: Beginning in 2022, an appeals process was established for players who receive targeting penalties in the second half of a game, which would impact the player’s next game with the team, whether that’s in the same season or the next one.
If a player is ejected for targeting in the second half of the game, they and their conference can appeal it to the national coordinator of football officials, who would then review it. Per the rulebook:“Based on the review, if and only if the national coordinator concludes that is is clearly obvious the player should not have been disqualified, the suspension will be vacated. If the national coordinator supports the disqualification, the suspension for the next game will remain.”
History of the Targeting Rule
The NCAA adopted the targeting rule in 2008.
Common Misconceptions about Targeting
Football must have something like the targeting rule. Fans and media are often frustrated with the current NCAA rule’s inconsistent usage, and I’m not going to tell you it’s flawless in its language, application, or consequences. We can look at the rule itself, which has inspired a lot of myths.
- Misconception #1: Targeting requires helmet-to-helmet contact. Too often, a targeting call that results in the standard 15-yard penalty and automatic ejection leads people to point out a lack of helmet contact, but the rules do not specifically require that (if you think that should be the rule, that’s a different conversation). No player shall target and make forcible contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting (See Note 1 below). This specifies a hit with the top of your helmet, but not necessarily a hit to your opponent’s helmet. A player could launch crown-first into a player’s hand, and that could be targeting. More commonly, you’ll see targeting calls after crown-to-ribcage hits. This in 2016 was correctly called targeting, even though the defender didn’t go anywhere near the quarterback’s head.
- Misconception #2: Targeting only involves helmet contact. No player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent (See Note 2 below) with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting (See Note 1 below). When in question, it is a foul (Rules 2-27-14 and 9-6). (A.R. 9-1-4-I-VI) Note 1: "Targeting" means that a player takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball. This describes targeting as including actions that don’t involve helmet contact at all.
- Misconception #3: Targeting only covers hits on players who have the ball.
- Misconception #4: Targeting only applies if the QB’s giving himself up. This one comes up a lot when quarterbacks take off running. “He’s still a runner,” someone might say, or “he hasn’t slid to give himself up.” Those are things that would make him “defenseless,” but he can still be targeted via the crown of the helmet rule.
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