SEC announces new rules for the 2017 football season
Expect to see coaches called for more 15-yard penalties when the 2017 college football season kicks off.
At SEC spring meetings on Thursday, the conference announced that coaches who come onto the field of play to argue with officials will be assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty:
In 2017, if any coaches come out into the field of play (green) to protest a call, referees are expected to call an unsportsmanlike penalty: pic.twitter.com/taivHNt4lH
— Alex Byington (@abyingtonTD) June 1, 2017
With several hot-tempered coaches in the SEC, there will likely be some penalties early in the season until the coaches adjust to the new restriction.
Coaches weren’t the only ones affected by new rules, though, as running forward before the snap in order to leap over the line of scrimmage to block a field goal is now illegal:
New rule says a defensive player, in this case Robinson, can't run forward in an attempt to leap or hurdle the line of scrimmage on a block: pic.twitter.com/qHWZga2i8o
— Alex Byington (@abyingtonTD) June 1, 2017
Players within one yard of the line and stationary at the snap can still hurdle over the offensive line, but no one is allowed to get running starts anymore.