Deion Sanders: NCAA should adopt NFL rules like two feet in bounds, pass interference

Deion Sanders wants to see standardized rules across both college and pro football.

Sanders said at the Big 12 media days that the NCAA should adopt the NFL’s rules to better prepare college players for the pros. Sanders cited the NFL’s rule requiring receivers to get two feet in bounds on a catch and placing the ball at the spot of the foul on pass interference as rules he’d like to see applied to college football.

“I’d like the professional rules to be implemented in college,” Sanders said. “They’re getting ready to be pros. So let’s go two feet in on the catches. Let’s mark the foul with pass interference. Let’s do the same thing the pro game is, let’s do it in college.”

Current NCAA rules require only one foot down on a catch, and cap pass interference penalties at 15 yards. Sanders didn’t specify whether he wants the NCAA and NFL rulebooks to be identical, but other significant changes between the college and pro game include overtime rules, certain timing rules, the placement of the hashmarks on the field, and whether a ball carrier needs to be touched by a defender to be ruled down by contact.

Standardizing the rules might help to prepare college players for the pros, but many fans enjoy some of the differences between the two sports, and the NCAA has never viewed itself as just a minor league for the NFL. It’s unlikely that Sanders’ proposal would get much traction.

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