Upcoming Event: Track & Field versus NCAA First Round on May 28, 2026
Track & Field
vs NCAA First Round
The University of Utah Athletics
Football
The nature of an NCAA Division I-A Football program requires close scrutiny of the activities occurring during the playing and practice seasons. There are many NCAA regulations of Bylaw 17 that apply specifically to the sport of football.
Playing Season Regulations
NCAA regulations limit the playing seasons to the following lengths:
Football: Start of preseason practice to end of regular playing season (except for permissible spring practice)
Note: Declaration of football out-of-season and summer activities must be signed by Athletic Director and on file prior to the first of January.
Permissible Activities - Prospective Student-Athletes
General Rule:
Except as provided below, prospective student-athletes may not use Athletic Department facilities to work out. If a prospective student-athlete wants to work out on the University's campus, he/she must purchase a membership with Campus Recreation Services at the same rate as any member of the general public and use publicly open facilities (HPER, Field House) in the same manner as any member of the general public.
Exceptions:
- In football, a prospect that has signed a valid National Letter of Intent (within the last 18 months) or a four-year transfer prospect that has signed an institutional offer of admission or tender offer may engage in voluntary summer conditioning activities conducted by the strength coaches during 8 weeks of the summer conditioning period along with returning student-athletes.
Note that at no time may a prospective walk-on engage in any athletically-related activities at an Athletic Department facility.
Permissible Activities - Enrolled Student-Athletes in Football
During the Playing Season:
Student-athletes may engage in only 4 hours per day and 20 hours per week of countable athletically related activities. A countable athletically related activity is any activity with an athletics purpose involving student-athletes that occurs at the direction of or supervised by one or more institutional coaching staff members (including strength and conditioning coaches).
The following regulations apply to activities during the playing season:
- Student-athletes must be given a day off during the playing season (except during post-season play and vacation periods)
- A competition day equals three hours
- Student-athletes may not practice following a competition
- Weekly and daily hour limitations and the day-off requirement do not apply to practice before the start of the academic year (see below for football preseason regulations) or during vacation periods during the playing season
- Weekly and daily hour limitations and the day-off requirement do apply during final examination periods
- The four hours per day requirement does not apply to golf practice rounds (though the weekly limitation still applies)
Preseason Practice:
- Student-athletes are permitted 29 actual practices prior to the first contest of the season.
- All new and returning student-athletes are required to undergo a five-day acclimatization period in which only three hours of practice are permitted per day.
- After the five-day acclimatization period, no consecutive multiple-practice days are permitted.
- Three hours of practice are permitted on single-practice days.
- Five hours of practice are permitted on multiple-practice days.
- In addition, during multiple-practice days student-athletes must be provided three hours of continuous recovery time during which no activities are scheduled.
Outside the Playing Season - Academic Year:
- Student-athletes must be given nine designated weeks of discretionary time (in which there are no required/recommended activities) between January 1 and the beginning of voluntary summer conditioning in June.
- Outside the nine weeks of discretionary time, student-athletes may be required to participate in up to 8 hours per week of required strength and conditioning activities and film review.
- No skill instruction is permitted outside of the playing season in football. However, game film review may be required for up to 2 of the 8 permissible hours per week.
- Spring practice may occur for up to 4 hours per day on 15 designated practice dates.
- Student-athletes must be given two days off from required activities per week, even during spring practice.
Outside the Playing Season - Vacation Periods:
- During 8 designated weeks of voluntary summer conditioning activites, strength coaches may conduct strength and conditioning workouts for student-athletes. No countable coaches may be present and strength coaches may not report back to countable coaches. In addition, student-athletes may work out at their discretion outside the 8 hours per week. No countable or strength coaches can be involved with these workouts, except that strength coaches may monitor the facility for health and safety purposes.
- Outside the 8 designated weeks, student-athletes may work out at their discretion. No countable or strength coaches can be involved with discretionary workouts, except that strength coaches may monitor the facility for health and safety purposes.
Scouting of Opponents
Football:
In football, in-person off-campus scouting of opponents is prohibited except during a regular or postseason tournament in which Utah competes.
During the regular season, it is permissible to pay the actual expenses associated with exchanging game films (including the expenses of an individual traveling to pick up film) but is not permissible to pay any additional costs/premiums. This means, for example, that the University could provide a third-party with the costs of postage and a blank videotape, but could not pay a service fee or any other costs. During the postseason, the same rule applies in the sport of football.
COUNTABLE ACTIVITIES LOG
Each coach must complete a Countable Activities Log (COMPpps_001) in order to ensure student-athletes only participate in permissible amounts of daily/weekly practice activities during the academic year. The log form must be signed by all student-athletes who participated in any countable activities during the week. This form must be given to the Compliance Office after each week of practice during the academic year.
Note that the log should be completed for each week of the academic year, even if no activities occurred.
SEASON DECLARATION FORM
The Season Declaration Form ensures that student-athletes only participate in permissible amounts of daily/weekly practice activities during the academic year. Each coach must complete the form and return the form, along with a copy of the proposed schedule, to the Compliance Office for review. The Season Declaration Form must be returned to the Compliance Office during the month of July prior to the academic year. Links to the available forms are below.
For more information regarding the Season Declaration Form, please see the Tipsheet: Playing and Practice Seasons Declaration (COMPtips_012).
Football Playing Season Declaration (COMPpps_007)
FOOTBALL SPECIFIC PLAYING & PRACTICE SEASONS In order to ensure that football out-of season/spring and summer conditioning activities are declared in accordance with NCAA regulations, the head coach must complete a Declaration: Football "Spring" Conditioning (COMPpps_002), Declaration: Football Spring Practice (COMPpps_008)and a Declaration: Football "Summer" Conditioning (COMPpps_003) form and return each of the completed forms to the Compliance Office for review. Once received, the form is signed by the Compliance Office and placed on file.
The Declaration: Football "Spring" Conditioning (COMPpps_002) form must be completed prior to the beginning of the calendar year. NCAA regulations require that this declaration be signed by the Athletic Director and placed on file prior to January 1. The Declaration: Football Spring Practice (COMPpps_008)must be completed at least two weeks prior to the beginning of spring practice.