The Opening Kickoff is a first-class account of football's turbulent origins, one that helps explain how a collision sport became the most conspicuous part of American higher education." "A new must-read book for fans of college football... [a] fascinating look at the origins of the game."

If a kicked ball, either as a result of a punt, kickoff or missed field goal, touches the ground in the opposing team's end zone, rolls out of the back-end zone or touches the goal post, the play is ruled a touchback and the ball is subsequently spotted on the 25-yard-line.

It must be made from any point on the kicking (offensive) team's restraining line and between the inbounds lines. A kickoff puts the ball in play at the start of each half, after a try, and after a successful field goal. A dropkick or placekick may be used for a kickoff.

Just under 60% of kickoffs during the regular season resulted in a touchback, up slightly from a 57.5% rate in 2021 but still down from a 61.2% rate in 2020. Of the eight teams to advance to the NFL Divisional Round, only three (Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles) had a touchback rate above 59%.

The NFL is making a major rule change on kickoffs beginning in the 2023 season. Fair catches and touchbacks will now come out to the 25-yard line, according to a report from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. In past years, the ball has been placed at the 20-yard line on fair catches and touchbacks in the NFL.

owners approved the Competition Committee's recommendation to move the kick from the 40-yard line to the 35-yard line. Part of a broad package designed to rev up the game, the change was made to produce more exciting returns. And it worked: Kickoff return rates immediately jumped from 75 to 92 percent.

Kikoff has a 4.5/5 rating based on over 37,000 reviews on Google Play and a 4.9/5 rating based on over 52,000 reviews in the App Store, at the time of writing.

Running Two Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns in Single Game A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. Ten players have done that in NFL history.

Career punting touchbacks leaders Shane Lechler has the most career punts resulting in touchbacks in NFL history.

The league moved touchbacks up from the 20-yard line to the 25 in 2016. Over the last 12 seasons since kickoff tees were moved up to the 35-yard line from the 30, only 53 returns have resulted in touchdowns. There were 20 kickoff return scores in 2010 before the change.

In an attempt to reduce the frequency of kick returns - and by extension cut down on injuries - the NFL decided in the offseason to put the ball on the 25-yard line after a touchback. The rationale, of course, was that the extra five yards might cause returners to gamble less often on kicks that go into the end zone.

Players are now able to fair catch on kickoffs, with the resulting possession beginning at the team's own 25-yard line -- equivalent to a touchback. That means even if a kicker boots the ball short of the end zone, the returner can signal for a fair catch and still get the benefit of a touchback.