07/07/2026 – Exertional Heat Stroke Guidance for High School Football Linemen – NFHS SMAC Task Force

2026-2027 News Releases

This information is being shared with all KHSAA contacts involved in football, based on recently shared guidance from the NFHS.

The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) convened an expert task force that included physicians, athletic trainers, state association executives, athletic directors, football coaches and strength and conditioning coaches to address a critical and persistent safety issue in high school football: exertional heat stroke (EHS), the leading cause of preventable death in high school players. Nearly all EHS fatalities occur during sustained, high‑intensity conditioning sessions in the first week of practice, and 97% involve linemen—athletes who heat up faster, cool down more slowly, and face unique physiological risks not fully mitigated by existing guidelines on hydration, acclimatization, WBGT monitoring, or uniform modification. These traditional measures remain essential, but they have not adequately accounted for exertional intensity or the disproportionate vulnerability of linemen.

In response, the task force has developed new, position‑specific guidance designed to fundamentally […]

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