Tennessee football: 3 College Football rule changes you need to know

College football's on-field product will undergo a few changes this season. Tennessee football and other power programs will have to adapt quickly to the new rules, which include new technology and changes to replay. The product on the field will look a little different in 2024. 

Coach-to-Player Communication

Tennessee is one of the many football programs well-known for its multiple signalers on the sideline communicating the play call to players on the field. However, new communication rules could eliminate the need for multiple signalers or poster boards throughout the sideline. 

Coaches will now have direct communication with players. Similar to the NFL, one player on the field will be able to receive communication from a coach on the sideline, and they will be identified with a green dot on their helmet. This will be the quarterback and the leader on the defense for virtually every football program. 

Coaches will be able to communicate with players until there are 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, giving up-tempo teams like Tennessee a chance to receive more communication than teams that have a traditional huddle. 

If multiple players on the same team communicate on the field simultaneously, a five-yard penalty will be assessed. This rule applies only at the FBS level, but FCS teams will be allowed to utilize it when playing an FBS opponent. 

Sideline Tablets

Like many high school teams and the NFL, college football programs can now utilize tablets to review replays on the sideline. 

Players and coaches will only be allowed to use these tablets for “in-game video,” excluding analytics and data. Tablets will be allowed on the sideline, in the coach’s box, and in the locker room. 

Teams will also be limited to only 18 tablets for the entire team. Officials, however, will not be allowed to look at the team tablets. If any team personnel attempts to show an official replay from a tablet, that team will be given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. 

Collaborative Replay

Replay is also changing and being revamped for the 2024 college football season. There are a few updates to college football's replay system. New replay rules allow for instant replay reviews for traditional reviews and official corrections. 

The National Football Foundation describes collaborative replay as, "A collaborative decision-making model during instant replay reviews, which is in full compliance with Rule 12 and follows the Collaborative Replay Officiating Standards, is not limited to the press box of a stadium (Part II Officiating Standards, Section 16)."

The replay official can also help on-field officials if there is indisputable evidence to overturn a call made on the field. One rule change includes dead and loose balls. 

If a passer is ruled down but releases the ball prior to going down, the replay official can overturn the call if there is indisputable evidence. If the pass is completed, the ball will be spotted at the spot of the catch. If the pass is incomplete, the down will count and it will move to the next down. 

The replay official can also overturn Fouls. If a five- or ten-yard penalty is incorrectly called, the replay official can overturn the call, making it a dead ball foul. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties will always be enforced, regardless of whether they are correctly called on the field.