In 2016, the Ivy League moved kickoffs from the 35-yard line to the 40-yard line. In 2016 and 2017, kickoff concussions occurred at one-fifth of the rate in the three years prior to the change.
The Ivy League is the only Division-I conference that does not kick from the 35-yard line. They received NCAA approval for the five-yard change that sought to have more kickoffs result in touchbacks. It worked; from 2013-15, 18 percent of kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, and from 2016-17, 50 percent of kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.
And with more touchbacks came a significant drop in concussions. According to new research led by Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, the average concussion rate per 1,000 kickoffs decreased from almost 11 to two. The research was paid for by the Ivy League and Big Ten and appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"The action taken by Ivy League leadership based on epidemiologic evidence demonstrates how targeted policy changes can reduce sport-related concussion. Although these results may not generalize beyond the Ivy League, they may inform the NCAA as it considers adjusting the kickoff rules in football in all collegiate conferences."
The Associated Press also noted that "concussion rates for other types of play were lower than those for kickoffs throughout the study years and only declined slightly after the rule change."
Prior to the season, the NCAA instituted a new rule for all levels of college football that allows teams to call a fair catch on kickoffs that land between the goal line and 25-yard line. With the fair catch, the ball is placed at the 25-yard line. The Ivy League is the only NCAA conference that uses both the fair-catch rule and the 40-yard-line kickoff.
