Registration

The ON-FIELD position is for experienced college officials looking to make the next step into “Big Time” (D-1) officiating. These ON-FIELD positions are limited to 56 available spots (7 crews of 8) and are offered to qualified applicants after a vetting process. These positions are offered to applicants viewed as having a legitimate shot at D-1 football and who are close to being ready to make that step. On-Field students will be assigned a position on a crew and will work an entire game (130+ real snaps) and be evaluated with a full game review. Not everyone who applies is ready for this position, and due to availability, not everyone who is ready will be offered a spot. College experience is required to be considered for this position, and references will be consulted to ascertain an applicant’s potential and readiness to advance in officiating. These students are “drafted” onto a crew by a crew mentor (experienced D-1 official) and crew training begins months in advance of the Academy. If you are unsure whether you are qualified for this position, we encourage you to register and if you are not offered an on-field spot you will have first priority to accept a non-field position.

The NON-FIELD position is the same in all aspects other than these students will not work the game. They will still be assigned to a crew and go through all the pre-Academy training and classroom work at the Academy. Instead of working on the field they will shadow the On-Field officials and observe the game with the training staff to receive maximum instruction and feedback. This position is excellent for new officials with less experience as a way to get a taste of college officiating. It is also ideal for experienced college officials who have worked on the field and could benefit from a different role. Some advantages to this position include the ability to select your mentor and crew (rather than be drafted) and to attend various classroom sessions (rather than your assigned position only). If you currently have no college experience, we encourage you to apply only for this position. If you are willing to accept either position, we ask that you apply for the On-Field spot as that will not prevent you from accepting a non-field position if the on-field spot is not offered to you. If you have the misperception a Non-field position is a “second-class” position, you are sadly mistaken. It is intellectually driven and can be the best return on your investment.

The REPLAY position was new last year and was a huge success. It is for those individuals interested in a career in Replay, or in learning more about the Replay process to enhance and round out their on-field skills. Replay students will receive extensive classroom training regarding the philosophies, judgment and mechanics of Replay, and will then put that training into practice for an entire game (130+ snaps) where they will work both the “R1”(Replay Official) and “R2” (Communicator) positions. These replay officials will be assigned to a crew and will be part of the Pre-SASA activities to include inclusion into their own crew with On-Field officials, as well as separate Pre-SASA training with replay officials only.