Targeting is a penalty in college football that prohibits players from initiating forcible contact against an opponent that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball. The NCAA defines targeting as "a player takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball". The penalty for targeting is 15 yards and the ejection of the player who committed the foul. If a player is ejected in the second half of a game, they are required to sit out the first half of the following game.

There are two variations of targeting: one that focuses on the crown of a players helmet and one that focuses on a defenseless player. Some indicators of targeting include but are not limited to launching, a crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust, leading with the helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand, or elbow, and lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

The NCAA continues to update its rulebook, and in 2022, only one significant NCAA rule change was implemented for the season. The change has to do with reviewing a players eligibility for his teams next game after he is called for targeting. The process begins with a conference submitting a request to the NCAA national coordinator of officials, who would review video of the play. If it is obvious that a player was incorrectly penalized for targeting, the call would be overturned, and the player would be cleared to play in the first half of the next game.