Heat Illness Prevention in College Football in 2025

College football’s grueling August practices under blazing sun have long been a rite of passage—but they’re also a health hazard. The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) reports that heat stroke has claimed 31 lives in college and high school football since 2000, with 5 in the last 3 years alone. As climate change pushes summer temperatures higher—a 2024 NOAA study logged a 1.5°F rise in average U.S. August heat since 2010—colleges are scrambling to adapt with new research-backed protocols to keep players safe.

The science is stark. A 2022 *Journal of Athletic Training* study found that exertional heat illness (EHI) risk triples when the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT)—a measure of heat, humidity, and radiation—exceeds 82°F. In southern states like Alabama and Louisiana, where WBGT often hits 90°F during preseason, EHI incidents spiked 20% from 2019 to 2023, per NCAA data. Enter the NCAA’s 2023 Heat Acclimatization Guidelines: practices now start with shorter, lighter sessions, ramping up over 14 days, and full-pad drills are banned when WBGT tops 92°F.

Tech is stepping up, too. Cooling vests, which lower core body temp by 1–2°F, are now standard at schools like Florida State, where a 2024 trial cut heat-related cramps by 45%. Handheld infrared thermometers and ingestible sensors—like those from BodyCAP—track players’ internal temps in real time, flagging risks before symptoms hit. A 2023 *Sports Medicine* study showed these tools reduced EHI hospitalizations by 60% in monitored teams. Hydration’s also gone high-tech: smart water bottles at LSU log intake, ensuring players hit the NCAA’s recommended 16–20 ounces per hour.

Staff training is critical. After a 2021 heat death at a Division II school, the NCAA mandated that all athletic trainers complete heat illness certification by 2024. At Texas A&M, trainers now run “wet-bulb drills,” simulating emergency cooling with ice baths—a response that cuts recovery time from 30 minutes to 10, per a 2022 *British Journal of Sports Medicine* report. The results? The SEC, a hotbed for heat risks, saw EHI cases drop 25% from 2022 to 2024.

Challenges linger. Smaller schools often lack the $5,000–$10,000 for cooling tech, and a 2024 NCAA survey found 35% of Division III programs still skip WBGT monitoring. Climate trends aren’t helping—projections suggest WBGT could rise another 2°F by 2030, testing even the best protocols. But the shift is undeniable: college football is trading tradition for science, and lives are being saved. As one Alabama trainer put it, “We’re not just building toughness anymore—we’re building survivors.”