NCAA DI Council approves 6-week preseason model
On Wednesday, the Division I Council approved the six-week preseason model for NCAA football that had been recommended by the Division I Football Oversight Committee earlier this month. The decision means that USC–and all teams that begin their season on Sept. 5–may begin required football activities on July 13.
USC has yet to officially announce a plan to bring student-athletes back to campus for voluntary workouts, which could have begun this past Monday according to Pac-12 rules. Several Pac-12 programs have already begun bringing players back to campus and UCLA plans to begin doing so this coming Monday.
Coaches across the country have been clear in their belief that they needed to spend extra time before what would be regular fall camp with their student-athletes to not only make up for what was lost by not having a full spring ball period, but to also help them acclimate physically to the rigors of fall camp. This plan allows for that.
According to the NCAA:
“Under the proposed model, assuming a school’s first scheduled football contest is on Saturday, Sept. 5, student-athletes may be required to participate in up to eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review per week (not more than two hours of film review per week) from July 13-23.
Then, from July 24 through Aug. 6, student-athletes may be required to participate in up to 20 hours of countable athletically related activities per week (not more than four hours per day) as follows:
- Up to eight hours per week for weight training and conditioning.
- Up to six hours per week for walk-throughs, which may include the use of a football.
- Up to six hours per week for meetings, which may include film review, team meetings, position meetings, one-on-one meetings, etc.
During this 14-day period, student-athletes are required to get at least two days off.
The model does not make any adjustments to the legislated 29-day preseason practice period. In the previous example, the school’s preseason practice period would begin Aug. 7 with a five-day acclimatization period, followed by the opportunity for up to 25 on-field practices.”
