Language in the 2024 NFHS Football Rules Book will be changed in an effort to ensure consistent interpretation of the rule regarding requirements for home team uniforms in high school football. Next season, all home team jerseys must be the same dark color(s) that clearly contrasts with white. 

This uniform change in Rule 1-5-1b(3) was recommended by the NFHS Football Rules Committee at its January 14-16 meeting in Indianapolis and subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. The Football Rules Committee is composed of one member from each NFHS member state association that uses NFHS playing rules, along with representatives from the NFHS Coaches Association and NFHS Officials Association.

Previously, the rule regarding home team jerseys stated that the jerseys of the home team “shall be a dark color that clearly contrasts to white.” The revised rule will state that the jerseys of the home team “shall all be the same dark color(s) that clearly contrasts to white.” 

“We kind of had a loophole in the rule that we didn’t specify that everyone on the home team had to wear the same color dark jersey,” said Richard McWhirter, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. “Even though you didn’t see a major issue with it, it was a loophole in the rule that could possibly be a major issue in the future if it wasn’t corrected.”

REPUBLISHED FROM REFEREE MAGAZINE - 1/1/2023

Officiating requires the use of many body parts and in most cases those parts must coordinate with one another.

The human anatomy is an intricate structure consisting of 11 systems and containing more than 37 trillion cells. Officiating requires the use of many of those body parts and in most cases, those parts must coordinate with one another. Here are 6 elements of your officiating anatomy.

All Members:

Attached to this article is the newest revised copy of the NJFOA Six Person Mechanics Manual and the NJFOA Officiating Philosophies and Principles manual for the upcoming 2023 season.

Both the mechanics and philosophies are combined into a single PDF.

If anyone is looking to view the recordings of the preseason meetings, go to our Calendar page and click on the meeting shown on the date it occurred. Once inside of there, you can watch the recording that was posted to YouTube at your leisure.

You will be able to find these on future meetings as well, after they are posted to YouTube by the meeting stakeholders.

“This is an excellent rule change that the majority of game officials and coaches requested and that our NFHS Football Rules Committee members approved unanimously. I believe this change will make the rule clearer for coaches and easier for game officials to administer.”

A notable change to Rule 10 of the NFHS Football Rules Book will eliminate the excessive penalty enforcements for offensive fouls that occur behind the line of scrimmage in high school football.

This change in Rule 10-4 (Basic Spots) is one of seven revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 8-10 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors for the 2023 high school football season.

In a move to achieve one of the committee’s fundamental tasks of maintaining a balance between offense and defense, this revision stipulates the basic spot for enforcement of fouls behind the line of scrimmage is the previous spot rather than the spot of the foul. Current penalties for illegal kicking, batting and participation fouls, as well as provisions for offensive fouls occurring in the end zone that may result in a safety, remain intact.  

As an example, with the change in Rule 10-4, a team on offense at its own 40-yard line that is called for holding 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage at its own 30-yard line, would be faced with first and 20 from its 30-yard line rather than the almost insurmountable task of first and 30 from its own 20-yard line. 

“This is an excellent rule change that the majority of game officials and coaches requested and that our NFHS Football Rules Committee members approved unanimously,” said Richard McWhirter, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). “I believe this change will make the rule clearer for coaches and easier for game officials to administer.”

In a change that addresses another goal of every NFHS rules committee – risk minimization – additional criteria were approved to help identify players who should be defined as defenseless receivers related to application of unnecessary or excessive contact.

An addition (d) to Rule 2-32-16 states that another example of a defenseless player includes a receiver, as previously defined in the rule, including the person intercepting the pass, who is forcefully contacted by an opponent that is not 1) incidental contact as a result of making a play on the ball, 2) initiated with open hands, or 3) an attempt to tackle by wrapping arm(s) around the receiver.

The committee also approved a clarification to the intentional grounding rule change implemented last year. The change in Rule 7-5-2EXCEPTION permits the exception for intentional grounding to the first and only player to possess the ball after the snap ends.    

A revision in Rule 2-29-1 clarifies when a player is inbounds after being out of bounds. While the committee approved additional language for clarification, there is no change to any foul or subsequent penalty provisions, or any rules related to illegal participation or the provisions regarding eligibility to catch a pass.

One change was approved in Rule 1-5-3 regarding player equipment, specifically player towels, which now may contain one manufacturer’s logo and/or one school logo, neither exceeding 2¼ square inches. Towels must be a solid color, but now do not have to be the same color for each player. Towels may not, however, be the color of the ball or penalty flag.  

In Rule 7-5 (TABLE) regarding forward pass interference, the word “intentional” was removed, which puts the rule in line with how it is already enforced, which is a 15-yard penalty.

Below is a primer on the how Pass Interference guidelines should be interpreted, republished from the NJFOA-North Archives, 2007.

A minor editorial change was made to this republishing, as face guarding is no longer considered PI in the NFHS and was removed from this article:

The NFL did exhaustive research into PI and the various types. They boiled it all down to these fundamental things:

1. There are two indicators that make a player 'suspect' for PI:

• Bite - when a player 'bites' on a move and then has to try to recover, such as when a receiver does a hook 'n' go - if he bites on the hook, he will frequently try to recover by grabbing the receiver as he goes by, etc., which will probably constitute defensive holding and can turn into PI if a pass is subsequently thrown.
• Chase - when a player is chasing an opponent, either by design or because he is beaten, he may tend to commit PI.

2. There are six categories of PI:

• Arm Bar - an arm across the body restricting the opponent from moving where he wants to go and, maybe more importantly, keeping him from raising his arms to make the catch. An arm across the body is not enough - there must be a restriction of movement.
• Hold - actually grasping an opponent, particularly the arm, restricting him from being able to reach a pass. Classically, grabbing an arm, keeping the opponent from raising it to catch the pass.
• Not playing the ball - the player is not making a bona fide effort to reach the pass (usually not looking back for the ball), and contacts the opponent (usually body to body) restricting the opponent from moving where he wants to go, or knocking the opponent off his path to the ball.
• Playing through the back - even if making an effort to touch the pass, contacting an opponent through the back, restricting his ability to catch the pass.
• Hook and twist - hooking the arm around the waist or shoulders, AND twisting the opponent, restricting him from his effort to touch the pass. An arm around the body is not enough - there must be a twist or turn. The offender is usually reaching around the receiver’s body attempting to knock the ball away with his other hand. Watch the outside shoulder of the restricted player. If it moves away from the ball, chances are good that you have a foul.
• Cutoff - even if looking back for the ball, a player cannot position himself and contact an opponent to restrict or prevent him from moving toward a pass. In practice, this resembles blocking out an opponent in basketball.

There is usually contact to have PI - but contact alone does not indicate PI as there must be a real 'restriction' for PI to occur. While ‘catchability’ itself is not a factor in determining whether or not PI has occurred, a 2005 rule change says that contact away from the direction of the pass should be ignored unless it is a personal foul, illegal use of the hands, or holding. In such cases, those rules will govern penalty enforcement — not pass interference enforcement.

Note that two players both making an effort to reach the ball might 'bang arms' -- no foul! Another situation: Two opponents running side by side down the field and maybe even through a cut. Some minor contact. NFL calls this a “snuggle.” Ignore it—no foul!

PI is almost always going to occur from the waist up. Don’t watch the ball…watch the opponents. Players running side by side or in tandem who get their feet tangled with no OBVIOUS intent to impede - no foul as long as both are playing the ball, i.e. making a bona fide attempt to move toward or catch the pass.