ANN ARBOR -- It's not often Jim Harbaugh pushes for a rule change in college football.

But when he does, it's in the name of player safety. And this time he's harkening back to his time in the NFL.

Speaking Tuesday on "Attack Each Day: The Harbaugh's Podcast," the Michigan football coach suggested the NCAA implement a rule similar to the NFL when it comes to punt returns.

"There's only two eligible players that are allowed to leave in the pro game before the ball is punted," Harbaugh said."In college, anybody can leave before the ball is punted. It's a player-safety (issue), to have 10 players converging on a punt returner. A defenseless player is not what we want in our game."

Article 2 of the 2017 NFL rulebook addresses this issue, reading: "During a kick from scrimmage, only the end men (receivers) on the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap, or an eligible receiver who is aligned or in motion behind the line and is more than one yard outside the end man, are permitted to advance more than one yard beyond the line before the ball is kicked."

The NFL enacted this rule in 1974 as part of a package of changes to help "reinvigorate the game." It's become a player-safety issue in recent years as well.

A 2013 Washington Post study found special teams players are injured at a higher rate than any other position on the football field, with lower leg, ankle and foot injuries the most common complaint. Still, concerns remain over concussions, their prevalence in the sport and the long-term health risks associated with them.

Earlier this month, the New England Patriots' Danny Amendola was the third NFL player in three seasons to suffer a concussion while attempting to return a punt.

And when it comes to college football, the NCAA has no such prohibiting players from taking off from the line of scrimmage. As a result, teams will send everyone from the line after a punt is snap, not only deterring against a return but increasing the likelihood of a high-impact collision.

"Let's avoid that," Harbaugh said. "Let's avoid that as best we can. Let's put some minds together and let's see the benefit of it. I think it will make the game more exciting, too."

Jack Harbaugh, Harbaugh's father and a former college football coach, agreed with his son's suggestion. And he used a recent example with the Michigan football team to support it.

"I think you'd get some returns, too," Jack Harbaugh said. "I think now, by releasing that many players down the field, it's really, really difficult to block and get a punt returned. We'd miss out on great Donovan Peoples-Jones' return this past weekend."