Will Muschamp Thinks College Football Could Employ XFL-Style Kickoff

The XFL's new kickoff rules, which has the team kicking off start at the opposing 35-yard line, was one of the new league's many changes that was received positively, as it kept the kick return in the game while eliminating high-speed collisions.

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp thinks that college football could soon pick up those rules, and he himself is in favor of it.

“I think the (XFL)  kickoff may be where we’re headed. I think it’s an interesting new approach,” Muschamp said. “It keeps the kickoff in the game and eliminates some of the collisions we are worried about.”

In the XFL, kickers must kick from their own 30-yard line, and they need to get the ball past the opposing 20-yard line. The coverage team will line up on the 35-yard line and the return team is on their own 30-yard line. Both teams can't move until three seconds pass or the returner fields the ball.

Using these rules, the St. Louis BattleHawks pulled off the first kickoff touchdown in XFL history against the New York Guardians last week.

The XFL has been a modest success to this point, and some of their tweaks to the rules could be implementing in either major college football or the NFL in short order.