By Greg Johnson / NCAA.org

The Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) during its conference call on Tuesday approved moving the kickoff and touchback lines beginning with the 2012 football season.

Next fall, teams will kick off at the 35-yard line instead of the 30. Also, players on the kicking team can’t line up for the play behind the 30-yard line, which is intended to limit the running start kicking teams used to have during the play.

Also, touchbacks on free kicks will be moved to the 25-yard line instead of the 20 to encourage more touchbacks. Touchbacks on other plays (for example, punts that go into the end zone, or fumbles that go out of the end zone) will remain at the 20-yard line.

The recommended changes came from the Football Rules Committee after that group examined NCAA data showing that injuries during kickoffs occur more often than in other phases of the game.

Another new rule that goes into effect next season is if a player loses his helmet (other than as the result of a foul by the opponent, such as a facemask), it will be treated like an injury. The player must leave the game and is not allowed to participate for the next play.

Current injury timeout rules guard against using this rule to gain an advantage from stopping the clock. Additionally, if a player loses his helmet, he must not continue to participate in the play, in order to protect him from injury.

Data from the 2011 season indicated that helmets came off of players more than twice per game.

The rules panel also approved new wording in the football rules book regarding blocking below the waist. Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap who are not in motion are allowed to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with a few exceptions (for example, straight-ahead blocks).

There will also be a new rule prohibiting players from leaping over blockers in an attempt to block a punt. Receiving-team players trying to jump over a shield-blocking scheme has become popular for teams in punt formation. Receiving-team players try to defeat this scheme by rushing into the backfield to block a punt. In some cases, these players are contacted and end up flipping in the air and landing on their head or shoulders. 

The Football Rules Committee raised concern about this type of action and proposed a rule similar to the leaping rule on place kicks that does not allow the receiving team to jump over blockers, unless the player jumps straight up or between two players.

CHICAGO - Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for the third time in his career.

The electrifying wide receiver-kicker returner returned eight punts for 130 yards (16.8 average), including a 69-yard touchdown, during October. He also had nine kickoff returns for 278 yards (30.9 average) with a 98-yard TD.

Hester won the NFL Player of the Month Award in December 2006 and September 2007. The three times is the most in franchise history.

Hester's punt return was the 11th of his career, setting an NFL record. He was previously tied with Eric Metcalf with 10. Hester has 16 kick returns for touchdowns (11 punts, 5 kickoffs). He also returned a missed field goal for a touchdown.

CHICAGO - Chicago Bears return man made NFL history on Sunday and helped the Bears defeat Carolina 34-29 in the process.

In the second quarter, after the Panthers tied the game at 10 on a 1-yard rookie quarterback Cam Newton touchdown run, Hester returned the kickoff 73 yards, setting up a Matt Forte touchdown.

On the next series, after a three-and-out, Hester charged through an attempted tackle by linebacker Thomas Williams and completed a 69-yard punt-return touchdown, the 11th of his career, an NFL record.

“It feels great. To be labeled the greatest person at a position is a great honor,” Hester said. “I have to give credit to my teammates.”

The Bears recorded the much-needed victory - division leaders Green Bay and Detroit are both 4-0 - to stay within striking distance. They can thank the spectacular Hester's heroics for the assist.

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Long-snapper Anthony Stella made an impression at the Ray Guy Prokicker.com punting, kicking and long-snapping camp here on Friday.

Stella, who will be a senior at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis this fall, was a quick study, said Prokicker.com staffer Jacob Claycomb, a former long-snapper at Eastern Kentucky University.

“I think he could play somewhere,” Claycomb said. “He’s a good athlete.”

Stella was one of nine long-snappers at the Prokicker.com’s stopover here. Stella, who is 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, was one of the top prospects. Claycomb said he was a coachable player who learned after making some minor adjustments.

He was 17 of 30 on his accuracy snaps and had a 0.78 in the fastest snap charting. Stella is a versatile high school player who often makes the tackle on a punt.

“You don’t see that too often,” said Claycomb, who has worked with Prokicker.com camps since 2007.

Claycomb graduated from EKU in 2009 and he was on scholarship his last two years after originally walking on.

“They recruited me just as a long-snapper but my junior and senior year we had an All-American kicker in Taylor Long,” Claycomb said. “He was having a great season and our holder broke his hand. I’d been to some (Prokicker.com) camps with Taylor. He said ‘You can hold.’ I’d learned how to traveling around the country with Rick (Sang) doing these camps.”

So the backup long-snapper was inserted on field goals with Claycomb providing the hold.

“I got to look at it from two different angles,” he said. “I ended up holding all my junior year and half my senior year.”

So Claycomb is the voice of experience for long-snappers. His value increased from learning how to also be a holder. That made him someone the EKU staff wanted to keep around. Claycomb has continued to work with Sang’s Prokicker.com camps and enjoys the experience of sharing his knowledge.

The staff that works Prokicker.com camps have similar success stories making them the perfect coaches for the kickers, punters and long-snappers who come.

The Prokicker.com camp moved to Memphis Friday afternoon and will be in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday and Sunday before going to the Dallas area Tuesday and Wednesday for what is expected to be one of the biggest camps of the summer.

Go to Prokicker.com for details on a camp near you.

Football News Now (FNN.com)

With the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense in the NFL last year, the reason the San Diego Chargers 9-7 season missed the playoffs was simple, special teams.

The difference in at least two games was that special teams coach Steve Crosby units were as bad as the league had seen since 1970. Out goes Crosby, in comes Rich Bisaccia from Tampa Bay. In his eight seasons on the Buccaneers sideline, Bisaccia’s special teams units consistently ranked as one of the top in the NFL. Despite the lockout, despite him installing a new system, and despite new players, Bisaccia is not lacking confidence he’ll be able to turn San Diego’s special teams around.

“Certainly, it’s a new system, with different verbiage and things of that nature, but I have all the confidence in the world we’ll get it done,” Bisaccia told the San Diego Union Tribune. “I don’t want to make light of it, but I think I have the ability to prepare them. This is about them doing the job.”

“Them” is also part of the expected turnaround as Chargers’ GM AJ Smith had an eye towards special teams in the draft selecting Jonas Mouton, Marcus Gilchrist, Jordan Todman and Andrew Gachkar. Although to Bisaccia, it all comes down to the basics of football, good players making good plays.

“The best players are going to play,” Bisaccia said. “You have to block the right guy and tackle. Tackling is tackling, and I don’t care if I’m coaching high school or Pop Warner or the Chargers. I don’t care if we have veterans or rookies. We had seven rookies in Tampa last year. You’re responsible for your work.”

Trackemtigers.com

The most difficult aspect of college football to predict and cover in preseason is the gamechanging, and often game-saving play, of the special teams.

Auburn's special team coach is Jay Boulware, although each and every position coach has a role in the development of these positions. Coach Chizik takes a very prominent role in the practice sessions of these various teams. Often the players on the special teams are comprised of some starters mixed with the non-starter personnel.

Last year while Wes Byrum was preparing to kick the game winner in the BCS National Championship game, I couldn't help but be excited to see John Sullen in there on the left side of the line. Tremendous experience for him, and for his future at AU.

The same statement can be made about many of the players we will depend on this coming season. We all remember what a great season Craig Sanders had, along with Demetruce McNeal. Making special team tackles on kick returns, and punt returns.

With new faces and legs at each of the kicking positions, there is anticipation, the nervous kind, for what the future holds. Brought about even more so because of the absence of Cody Parkey, Auburn's place kicker, from the spring game.

Still, we are now into the third year of the Chizik/Boulware system of special teams play, and the players know what to expect, and what is expected of them. Still the incoming class will add some much needed relief, in the form of participation on these vitally important phases of the game. Look for several true freshmen to be asked to fill roles in each of these.

It's not like Auburn's special team stats have set the college football world on fire either.

It's true that in PAT's Auburn was very successful with a 98.7 percent average which was second-best percentage in the country, while 33 teams had a 100 percent average. In the field goal department, the Tigers lacked the percentage grades one would hope for. Finishing ranked 52^nd in the country with an average of 77.3 percent of FGs attempted. The fact that Auburn's kicking was not highly ranked pales in comparison to the clutch performances of Wes Byrum and his teammates when the game was on the line.

Kickoff, and the returns of opponents kickoffs, found AU ranked in the top 25 nationally, so there was not a major concern there.

Where the concern comes from is the lack of disciplined play from the punt return team. Ranked 89^th in the country last season, Auburn's PR team averaged just 6.8 yards per return.

That's the most underachieved phase of Auburn's special teams. For many years with the "HALO" rule, catching a punt was taken for granted. All that changed two years ago at Auburn, and to this point, has yet to be successfully rectified.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Special teams factored in from the very beginning of Western Kentucky University’s annual spring football game Saturday afternoon at a chilly Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

Bobby Rainey returned the opening kickoff 76 yards down to the 23 yard-line for the Red team, who was forced to settle for a 40-yard Hendrix Brakefield field goal for a 3-0 lead.

White team quarterback Kawaun Jakeswas named the game’s MVP after completing 10 of 16 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.  He also picked up 40 rushing yards on nine carries to lead the White team to a 27-11 victory.

“Our guys went out there and competed, which was exciting to see,” said Hilltopper head coach Willie Taggart.  “I thought it was an evenly matched game, but the White team came out with a purpose and really wanted to win this game — and it paid off for them.”

Jakes completed all five of his pass attempts on the White team’s first offensive drive, including a five-yard touchdown completion to Kadeem Jonesto the his squad on the board.  Jakes completed each of his first seven attempts, finishing the half 10-for-15 for 157 yards and two scores. 

Red was able to take advantage of a special teams miscue late in the third quarter when the snap on a punt attempt sailed long and out of the back of the end zone for a safety, making it a 27-5 score.

First published by: Sean Jensen