FOX Broadcaster Recommends UFL Challenge Rule for College Football

Fox broadcaster Joel Klatt called for college football to adopt the super challenge rule the UFL currently implements on his podcast.

Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Fox Sports announcer Joel Klatt walks across the field prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Football Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Spring football has been able to inspire rule changes in the professional level. One broadcaster who knows the UFL well wants to see it spread to the college level as soon as possible.

FOX college football and UFL broadcaster Joel Klatt spoke on his podcast Tuesday and discussed official calls made in college football games this season that have been not made or were questionable. Klatt suggested the solution to the problem is taking a page out of the UFL’s rule book and giving each coach a super challenge.

“You guys know I call UFL games in the spring,” Klatt said. “The fix is in the UFL. The UFL has a super challenge. Every coach has one super challenge. Any call, any time, they throw a challenge. ‘Hey, I thought it was offside, challenge. Hey, I thought that was a poor pass interference, challenge. And now what you’re doing is that you’re creating a system that officials can get back together, they can review it and they can all chime in rather than just one guy in the heat of the moment throwing his flag and everybody can be like, ‘Hey, you know what? I think that call should be reversed. And then everybody knows that that’s just the process of the super challenge.”

Hear Joel Klatt out: A super challenge! @joelklatt thinks taking a page out of @TheUFL's playbook with a super challenge call would fix potential missed calls 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Oj4PuB5La3

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 22, 2024

The UFL’s super challenge is designed to give each coach one opportunity per game to throw a flag on any play for the booth to review. In the NFL and college football, penalties can’t be challenged except for too many players on the field.

During the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts proposed a rule change that would allow for penalties to be challenged. The proposal was not voted in by the league.

It’s not uncommon to see NFL teams push for rule changes inspired by the UFL. The kickoff rules from the XFL were adopted for the NFL with mixed reviews. The replacement for an onside kick for a fourth-and-long has been proposed multiple times over the years, but it has not been voted in.

The UFL is designed to help give players the opportunity to live their dreams of playing professionally. It’s also important as a way to help move the game of football into the modern age with rules that will make it more exciting and safe.

You can follow Anthony Miller on X @ByAnthonyMiller.

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