UFL restricts punting beyond
50-yard line and makes 60-plus field goals worth 4 points
[February 25, 2026]
By SCHUYLER DIXON
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The UFL won't allow punts after a team
crosses the 50-yard line until late in each half and is making all
field goals 60 yards or longer worth four points in the innovative
spring football league's latest rule changes.
The provisions announced Tuesday include the elimination of the tush
push, which technically means players behind the quarterback can't
push him toward the line of scrimmage right after the snap.
The UFL's tweaks on rules have gained visibility ever since the NFL
adopted radical changes to the kickoff two years ago. The UFL is
adjusting its kickoff rules, too. The eight-team league opens March
27.
The kickoff team's players will line up at the opponent's 45-yard
line instead of the 40, and the receiving team's blockers will move
5 yards in the same direction as well, creating more room for the
returners. The coverage team and the blockers can't move until the
ball is caught or lands in a designated zone.
“It is a tremendous source of pride,” UFL head of officials Dean
Blandino said of the league's impact on NFL rules. “And I think it
speaks to the need to have spring football. We’re not competing with
the NFL, but we’re working in conjunction with the NFL. We’re
preparing players, coaches, officials, to take that next step and to
also try things and innovate, that the NFL can use.”
The new punting rule won't be enforced in the final 2 minutes of
each half. When it is enforced, teams that cross the 50 will have to
go for it on fourth down even if they lose yardage back into their
territory.
NFL teams are more frequently trying field goals from beyond 60
yards, which means they've barely crossed midfield. If the ball is
on the 50 in the UFL but hasn't crossed it, teams can punt.
“At first glance, it feels like a major, major change,” Blandino
told The Associated Press. “That’s how I looked at it when we
started talking about it. Then you dive into the numbers a little
bit and look at the NFL last year, fewest punts per game in modern
history, most fourth-down attempts per game in modern history. So
the game is trending that way anyway.”
The UFL's reasoning goes beyond those numbers.
“We just felt, what are we trying to promote?” Blandino said. “We’re
trying to provide exciting plays. We’re trying to promote scoring
and fan excitement, engagement, those types of things. So we don’t
want to see a ton of punts where it’s just a fair catch at the
10-yard line. It’s a non-action play.”
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A detail view of the 50 yard line prior to an NFL football
game between the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans, Sunday, Nov
10, 2024 in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker, File)
The punting rule actually works in conjunction with
awarding four points for field goals of at least 60 yards. A spring
league alum, Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys has made kicks
that long look almost routine.
Jacksonville's Cam Little set the NFL record with a 68-yarder in
November — 2 yards longer than Justin Tucker's previous record set
with Baltimore in 2021. Little kicked a 70-yarder in the preseason
last year.
Blandino said Mike Repole, who became the league's principal
investor last year, was adamant about rewarding longer field goals.
“We just felt like, 'OK, let's add a layer to this,'” Blandino said.
“Kicking a 65-yard field goal is a lot harder than a 35-yard field
goal. Why should they be the same?”
Last year in a close vote, the NFL rejected a provision to eliminate
the tush push made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles and used with
some frequency by the Buffalo Bills.
“Some of our teams used it and we just felt with everything, whether
it’s safety, whether it’s the difficulty in terms of officiating
it,” Blandino said. “We’re going to give them the opportunity to see
how you can officiate it, how you kind of get it out. And we just
feel like that’s not a play that we want in our game.”
The UFL is also adopting the college rule of a receiver only needing
to get one foot inbounds for a catch. Two feet are required in the
NFL.
For points after touchdowns, a 33-yard kick will be worth one point,
converting from the 2-yard line will be worth two points and
converting from the 8 will be worth three.
In overtime, teams will alternate on three conversion attempts from
the 5. After that, they will continue to alternate until the tie is
broken.
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