The consequences of the most controversial penalty in college football will change for the 2026 season. The FBS oversight committee announced Thursday that first-time targeting offenders who commit the penalty in the second half won’t serve a carryover suspension in the first half of the next game.
This important modification will be in place on a one-year trial.
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While players called for targeting will still be ejected from the game in which the foul occurred, those assessed the penalty for the first time during the season won’t have to deal with their absence bleeding into another game.
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First-time targeting offenders flagged for the penalty in the first half have already been exempt from any kind of suspension outside of their in-game disqualification.
Of the 117 targeting fouls in FBS competition last season, 64 came in the second half of games, NCAA coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said last month, according to The Athletic. One of those notably had an effect on the national title game, as Miami cornerback Xavier Lucas was forced to sit out the first half after being flagged for targeting in the second half of a Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ole Miss. That wouldn’t have happened under this new trial rule.
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Second-time targeting offenders will, however, miss the first half of their next game. If a player is disqualified for targeting for the third time in one season — no player was last season — they will have to miss their entire next game.
In fact, only five players had multiple targeting penalties over the course of the 2025 campaign, per The Athletic.
“That’s an indicator that after one, the player works on technique, the coach takes time with them,” Shaw said, via The Athletic.
Other rule changes for the 2026 season
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Offensive pass interference will result in only a 10-yard penalty: This infraction won’t cost teams 15 yards a pop anymore.
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Teams will be able to execute a fair-catch kick, like they can in the NFL: After completing or being awarded a fair catch, a team can opt for a field goal or drop-kick attempt from that spot. If that kick sails through the uprights, the team will collect three points. The defense has to be at least 10 yards from the spot of the kick.
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Officials will narrow focus when considering unsportsmanlike conduct penalties: Officials will key on instances where a player taunts an opponent, performs actions that “interfere with game administration” or celebrates in a way that’s deemed demeaning.
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Eligible receiver clarification on punt team jersey numbers: The oversight committee seems to be cracking down on quirky fake punts. Specifically, on punt plays with linemen who aren’t wearing jersey numbers 50-79, the snapper and two linemen on either side of him in the tackle box are ineligible receivers by position.
As for the February proposal that essentially called for the end of football short-shorts, well, that wasn’t approved. If it was, players would have been required to wear leg coverings from the top of their shoes to the bottom of their pants.
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Currently, college players’ pants are required to cover their knees, but that rule isn’t followed or enforced closely.
