Division III two-a-days likely to be eliminated

It’s one of the most popular phrases fans hear every August before the start of a football season: Two-a-days. At the Division III college level, it could be a thing of the past.

“From what I’m hearing it’s all but a done deal,” said Mount Union coach Vince Kehres in a phone interview about a proposal to end two-a-days.

Said Case Western Reserve coach Greg Debeljak: “It’s trending that way.”

For first-year John Carroll coach Rick Finotti and the rest of the D-III contingent, they’re waiting for the official word from the NCAA via the decision makers at each member school.

“Without two-a-days, it makes preseason camp a little more challenging,” said Finotti.

In January, the NCAA Sport Science Institute reportedly recommended banning two-a-day practices in summer camp, plus limiting full contact to once a week during the season.

The reason is player safety, and injury prevention. Data from a Sports Science Institute study showed the highest rate of injuries and concussions occur during preseason practices.

D-III teams have 25 practice opportunities during summer camp.

The elimination of twoa-days will likely cause an issue for D-III programs as teams will likely be forced to start summers camps earlier than usual. That will cost money.

At Case, Debeljak said it costs about $2,500 a day to feed his team. Starting camp three days earlier in the Spartans’ case would cost the athletic department $7,500.

Kehres said the economics of the decision will have the biggest impact on the DIII world, but figuring out how to recoup practice time must be addressed.

“I’m not one to complain,” said Kehres. “We’ll make the most out of it, but you don’t like to lose practice opportunities. I understand the safety aspect of this, and I agree with it.”

Said Finotti: “Right now, we’re all just waiting word to see what happens.”

Without starting preseason camp early, Kehres said his team would have “21 or 22” practices to get ready for its Sept. 2 opener at home vs. North Carolina Wesleyan.

In any level of football, eliminating three to four practices can make a difference.

“I don’t think we need to be practicing two times a day,” said Kehres. “But we’ve got to make this up somewhere else. It’s kind of like, ‘What do we do now?’ ”

Debeljak said the only solution to the elimination of two-a-days is teams reporting earlier.

“But that will put a strain on your budget,” he said. Per NCAA rules in D-III, the first five days of preseason practices are once a day.

After the first five days of practices, two-a-day practices can be implemented. The loss of two-a-days could extend preseason camps up to a week.

“And the biggest concern with that is the money,” said Kehres.

What won’t be lost in August for D-III programs are scrimmages vs. opponents. According to Debeljak, John Carroll will scrimmage at Case Western Reserve on Aug. 25.

D-III teams are allowed 16 practices in the spring, but players aren’t allowed to wear pads.