An analysis from the Ivy League – Big Ten Epidemiology of Concussion Study found that a disproportionate amount of football concussions were happening during kickoff plays, where both teams are running towards each other at high speed. These findings were communicated to the Ivy League football coaches, who suggested changing the kickoff line to increase the likelihood of a touchback (which ends the play) and therefore reduce the need for players to collide at high speeds. After implementing the rule change, an 81% decrease in kickoff concussions was observed, prompting the NCAA to adopt the rule change across all competitions.
