He College Football Playoffs is expanding to 12 teams beginning with the 2024 season. The gap between the Power 4 and the other 28 Division I conferences is only growing in terms of the House agreement and revenue sharing.
Now college football coaching staffs will have a new look in the 2024 season. The NCAA Division I Council voted Tuesday to expand the college football coaching staff, allowing an unlimited number of assistants to instruct athletes.
At their annual meetings in Indianapolis, the 40-person council representing all 32 Division I conferences took steps to allow all staff members to provide technical and tactical instruction to athletes during practices and games. For years, quality control analysts and coaches have been limited to helping off the field by watching film and providing expertise in creating game-day strategies.
Now they can help athletes grow on the field. The decision eliminates the NCAA’s 11 countable coaches policy, allowing only 10 assistants and one head coach to provide on-field instruction. The rule has become antiquated as top programs now employ a variety of analysts, quality control coaches, recruiting coordinators, directors of player personnel, general managers and scouts. The move also ensures that the NCAA does not face any future legal action from college football coaches.
Certain positions will benefit from the decision.
Speaking with sources in the college football world this week, optimism was high and many expected the vote to pass. Still, some were nervous after the Division I Council initially rejected the proposal in spring 2023. The proposal has garnered support from the American Football Coaches Association.
Sources have indicated to On3 that quarterback, middle linebacker and special teams are key positions to watch where programs will look to take advantage of the rule.
The decision is the latest change in college football. He NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved adding helmet communication for FBS games and two-minute timeouts at the end of each half in April. FBS programs will have the option to use coach-player communications through a player’s helmet next season. Communication will be cut off when there are 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.
The new policy will keep the number of off-campus recruits at 11, including head coaches. FCS could hire 13 off-campus assistants. At the FBS level, head coaches could designate 10 staff members as accounting coaches who can recruit off campus.
Industry sources believe the unlimited coaching staff could lead to top Group of 5 assistants taking on analyst or assistant roles at major programs. College football staff will have titles similar to their NFL counterparts.
The future role of graduate assistants is also unknown. More staff members helping with daily operations changes the impact of graduate assistants; however, the new policy allows younger attendees to begin training earlier.
“It will be beneficial. I love that everyone inside the building, hopefully, this will be approved and these guys will be able to go to practice.” Mississippi State first year coach Jeff Lebby he told On3. “It helps the development of the coaches. For me, having these guys in the building right now as analysts and releasing them will be incredible.
“At the end of the day, everyone will still be very similar from the standpoint of being a GA and then being an analyst and that kind of transition to getting that first (job). “There will still be many similarities in people’s paths.”
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