I'm not in the UIL or have any skin in that game, but I would point out that the coaches/ADs/Superintendents aren't approving of the *rule* so much as they're approving of the way it's enforced.
If they know a white hat isn't going to start the :40 to hurry a team for a kickoff or a try, and they don't, then that's the actual rule so there's no need to change it.
The only way they'll vote to change the rules is if the officials start enforcing them as written.
NC, no offense, but, one of us doesn’t understand the other. The governing body for high school Athletics in Texas is the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which is composed of virtually exclusively coaches, ADs, and superintendents (most of whom are ex-coaches). For football, the UIL has adopted the NCAA Football Playing Rules, but with ‘Exceptions’ to a number of NCAA rules that either completely eliminate those rules, or modify them in some way.
For example, the UIL has an Exception that eliminates the rule that re-starts the game clock after a BC, or the ball, is declared out of bounds, outside of 2 mins in the 2nd and 4th periods.
For another example, the UIL has an Exception that modifies the rules regarding ‘disqualifications’ and ‘ejections,’ such that there are no player ‘ejections.’ Players may be disqualified for flagrant personal fouls, but they may remain in the team area, whereas, in NCAA, a player committing a flagrant personal foul is ejected, and must leave the playing enclosure.
So, in the case of the play clock, the UIL has NO exceptions. None. They follow the NCAA rule 100%. The UIL - those coaches/ADs/Superintendents - have consciously chosen to follow the NCAA rules regarding the play clock.
So, yes, the coaches ‘approve’ the rules.
Game officials are expected to apply the play clock rules as written in the NCAA Rules Book, just like all other rules in the book to which the UIL has no ‘exception,’ as well as their exceptions.
Now, understand that the institutions (schools) must mutually agree on game officials. So, if an official makes a call that a coach doesn’t like, the coach can ‘scratch’ that official from future assignments, even those already assigned. Especially if that coach is with a team that draws large crowds (thus, higher game fees) there is the potential for an official to ‘pass’ on calls that would go against that team, or even make calls that would help that team. So, if a team tends to want to huddle around the numbers following a kickoff, and take 20-25 seconds before they even move to the ball, then call signals, check with the sideline, yada, yada, and the next thing they know the play clock is down to 2 seconds, and their angry coach has to call a TO, and then he proceeds to verbally light up the crew about the play clock (that’s a college rule - we don’t need that rule - you need to reset the play clock) and states that they’ll never work a game for his school ever again, that just might influence the R, in particular, to order the PCO to modify the play clock procedures, so that coach doesn’t get upset, and he doesn’t get scratched.
Sadly, that has happened, and is happening.
Then there are those of us that refuse to be swayed by coaches, and enforce the rules as directed by the UIL. Then we get the ol’, “That’s not how they did it last week!” And we get scratched for doing things right.
It’s a horrid, conflict-of-interest ridden official assignment policy, but it would most likely literally take state legislative action to change. Been that way at least 50 years.