Some significant rules changes could be coming to college football for the 2022 season. The NCAA released a statement on Friday afternoon.

The release states that the NCAA Football Rules Committee has approved measures that will strengthen the accuracy of targeting calls, limit blocking below the waist and address the issue of players faking injuries during games. The rule proposals must be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.

The panel is expected to discuss the potential rule changes and recommendations on April 20. If approved, those alterations will take effect for the 2022 season.

On changes to the targeting rule:

The committee, which began meeting Wednesday, proposed a change to the targeting rule after considering several adjustments. In games that have instant replay, when a targeting foul occurs in the second half, the carryover penalty (of sitting out the first half of that player’s next game) will be eligible for further appeal.

The process would begin with a conference submitting a request to Steve Shaw, the NCAA national coordinator of officials, who would review video of the play. If it is clearly obvious that a player was incorrectly penalized for targeting, the call would be overturned, and the player would be cleared to play in the first half of the next game.

On teams faking injuries to gain a competitive advantage:

To address teams that are awarded an injury timeout through deceptive actions, the committee proposed a reporting and investigation process. Schools and conferences would be able to report questionable scenarios to the national coordinator of officials, who will review and provide feedback to the conference for further action. Any penalties levied would be up to the conference office or school involved.

On limiting blocking below the waist:

A proposal to improve safety and simplify the rules governing blocking below the waist was also recommended. The proposal would only allow blocking below the waist by linemen and stationary backs inside the tackle box. Outside the tackle box on scrimmage plays, blocking below the waist would be prohibited.

Player health and safety has become a primary focus for officials at all levels of football. The NCAA continues to find new ways to improve that aspect of the game heading into the 2022 season.

You can see all the potential rule changes at NCAA.org.