College Football Program Facing Backlash for 'Dangerous' Offseason Drill

College Football Program Facing Backlash for 'Dangerous' Offseason Drill Social media critics lashed out against a controversial football practice drill.

drew some notice for recently admitting a "less is more" approach to practice.

But one particular program started drawing serious criticism for some training methods when a recent video hit social media.

In the video, a ballcarrier faces a trio of converging defenders who are all looking to lower the boom on a defenseless player without any blockers.

This looks like a distant cousin of the legendary and now often-forbidden Oklahoma drill, in which a ball carrier gets lit up in similarly defenseless fashion.

But the Oklahoma drill involved one tackler, who generally didn't get a huge start-- as opposed to three running defenders in the drill in question.The drill was apparently being performed by players at Southeast Missouri State-- or SEMO for short.

SEMO is off a 4-8 2025 season under veteran coach Tom Matukewicz.

It's safe to assume that the Redhawks are looking to add some toughness to their program.

But social media circles suggest that SEMO is more likely to add some significant injuries.Matukewicz has already heard enough criticism that he felt compelled to defend his program's practices in a recent interview.

Matukewicz indicated that with 50 new players and several new coaches, "We need to make sure we understand who we are as a program." It's safe to say that social media was not impressed by the drill.

SEMO football head coach Tom Matukewicz comments on his practice that included a drill that has stirred up the internet.

Some criticism was thoughtul and reflective, like these comments from a former player on how SEMO might achieve better results without as much danger to its players.

Theres a right way to run this drill.

Tightening the field and adding blocker would actually create the kind of controlled contact theyre probably looking for and it reduces unnecessary injury risk.Being around football my whole life, this is as bad as it gets when it comes to practice design.

Drills are supposed to teach, simulate the game, and develop habits that carry over on game day.

This doesnt do that.

It puts kids in unnecessary danger and teaches nothing about...Others cut to the quick, arguing that a drill like this would be dangerous even with the youngest youth league players.A few hearty souls defended the drill, with many invoking the age old arguments that modern players are soft and old-time football players dealt with more physically adverse conditions routinely.

I remember Marv Fleming telling me one time that practices under Lombardi was like running into a brick wall as fast as you can 100 times.

And yet many of them lived well into their 80s.

They would run through a wall for Vince and would say the same up to their deathbed.While spring football for a 4-8 FCS team is normally quiet, SEMO will certainly be receiving a bit more attention than before.

How the Redhawks adapt to coach Matukewicz's old-school ways will be yet another 2026 season to watch.Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports.

He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers.

His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed.

Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows.

He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.Is There a Definitive Team to Beat in College Football Heading Into 2026?.

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