NCAA FCS Committee Advances Football Calendar Proposal
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Oversight Committee has advanced a proposal that would change how FCS football programs schedule out-of-season practices, conduct recruiting and use replay video. The committee introduced the proposal June 24, 2026, and expects to hold a final vote in August.
The proposal is not yet an adopted NCAA rule. If approved, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and would apply to FCS programs nationally.
A new out-of-season practice model
The central change would replace the current spring-practice and summer-access model with two out-of-season practice periods. Schools would be allowed as many as 21 total on-field practices across the two periods.
The periods together could last no more than seven weeks. Neither individual period could exceed five weeks, creating limits both on the overall amount of time available for the activities and on the length of either separate period.
Under the proposal, schools also would designate at least nine discretionary or voluntary weeks. Those weeks could not include required athletically related activities.
The proposed calendar would therefore organize out-of-season football activity around defined practice periods and weeks without required activities. The change would affect how programs plan their football schedules outside the regular season, although the final rules and implementation conditions remain subject to the committee’s vote.
Recruiting rules also would change
The proposal includes changes to FCS recruiting rules. One provision would create a recruiting-person-days model, while another would expand authority for off-campus recruiting.
The recruiting provisions are part of the broader proposal rather than a separate calendar adjustment. If adopted, they would change the way programs account for recruiting activity and the circumstances in which staff members could recruit away from campus.
The NCAA announcement did not provide a final number of recruiting-person-days or detailed implementation language for those provisions. Those details could be addressed in the final version considered by the oversight committee.
Replay experiment for 2026 games
The committee also approved an experimental replay-video proposal. Under the stated conditions, the experiment would allow real-time video output in both coaches’ booths during 2026 conference games.
The replay proposal is separate from the practice-calendar changes, but it would affect game operations during the 2026 season if implemented. The practice and recruiting provisions would have a proposed effective date of Jan. 1, 2027, while the replay experiment concerns conference games played in 2026.
The proposal would make additional video available to coaches during games, but it does not establish that every FCS program or conference will use the experiment. Its implementation remains tied to the conditions associated with the approved experimental measure.
Final vote expected in August
The oversight committee’s final vote is expected in August 2026. The NCAA has not announced a specific voting date in the notice describing the proposal.
Until that vote, the 21-practice limit, seven-week combined maximum, five-week limit for either period, nine-week discretionary or voluntary requirement, recruiting changes and proposed effective date remain part of a plan under consideration. The committee’s June action advances the proposal but does not establish the new framework as binding rules.
If the committee adopts the changes, the new practice and recruiting model would begin Jan. 1, 2027. The experimental replay provision would relate to 2026 conference games under its stated conditions, making the two parts of the committee’s action operate on different timelines.
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