Citadel to Implement XFL's Kickoff, Extra-Point Rules for 2020 Spring Game
Mar 2, 2020
Citadel head coach Brent Thompson watches play against Georgia Tech during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Atlanta. The Citadel won 27-24 in overtime. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The XFL's inaugural reboot season only began last month, but the innovative league is already making an impression.
Citadel head coach Brent Thompson told Jeff Hartsell of the Post and Courier on Monday that his team will be implementing the XFL's kickoff format for its 2020 spring game Saturday.
"The last two weeks I've been watching the XFL, and I really liked a couple of aspects of it," Thompson said. "One thing I really like is the kickoff. During a spring game, you don't usually do a kickoff, because it can be a dangerous play. But the way the XFL does it is pretty safe, and it was a chance to get a special teams play executed."
The league's official website explains the kickoff rule:
"The kicker kicks from the 30-yard line and must kick the ball in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone The coverage team lines up on the return side 35-yard line and the return team lines up on the 30-yard line. Each team must have exactly three players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and cannot move until the ball is caught by the returner."
Thompson also disclosed that quarterback Brandon Rainey and linebacker Willie Eubanks III will serve as head coaches and draft players to make up the two teams for the spring game.
According to the program's official website, the game's first half will feature a normal format before using a running clock in the second half.
The annual Blue-White game will be at Summerall Field on Citadel's campus in Charleston, South Carolina, while the team's normal home, Johnson Hagood Stadium, is undergoing turf installation.
