Will Kansas high school football implement new NFL rules?

TOPEKA, KS (KSNT) -- The most watched sport in America is making a lot of noise. And this time it isn't from record breaking TV numbers or Taylor Swift. Rather two major changes to the sport to help prevent injury. We're talking about new tackling and kickoff rules in the NFL. But will these rules be implemented at the lower level here in Kansas?

In the meantime the answer is no. That's because the National Federation of State High School Associations has already passed its rules for the upcoming season. Although that doesn't mean future changes are out of the question.

"I'm sure now with the change in the NFL there'll be some proposals that will come up, not at just the high school level but also at the NCAA level to see whether or not these are type of things we need to look at," KSHSAA Assistant Executive Dir. Mark Lentz said.

On Monday, NFL owners approved to get rid of the "hip-drop tackle". This prevents defensive players from grabbing another player with both arms, going limp and swiveling to the ground.
The league says it results in a lot of lower body injuries.

"I don't think it's been an issue at the high school level," Lentz said. "As players get better, and better and better, you know then I think those things will take place, but I think our coaches do a good job at teaching the fundamentals of tackling."

"The time when I got started to where we are now in how we teach tackling, you know as far as keeping the kids heads up out of contact and stuff like that, we're always looking to make it safer and better," Hayden High School Football Coach Bill Arnold said.

The other rule change came on Tuesday, March 26. This changes how kickoff works.
Modeled after the XFL, the NFL's change hopes to make the game safer. But for high school, Lentz says as of now this change is unnecessary due to the big difference in athleticism between the athletes.

"Sometimes they're short, sometimes they're pooch kicks, sometimes they're squib kicks, so we don't have those types of collisions at this point and time," Lentz said. "If those collisions become that factor then I think in high school football you have to look at it."

While kickoff changes are happening in the NFL now, Lentz tells 27 News changes have been made to high school football kickoffs in the last few years. These include no more than a five yard start on a run and changing how many people need to line up on each side of the kicker.