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Third down on a Friday night. The quarterback lofts it to the sideline, the receiver drags one toe in bounds and the home crowd goes wild: catch. Two days later, the same play on TV is ruled incomplete, and the announcer says “he needed two feet.” Both calls were right. Football rules are not one rulebook but three: the NFL’s, the NCAA’s for college and the NFHS’s for high school, and they differ in ways that change games. This page explains the basics, every position, and the real NFL vs college vs high school differences, plus the flag football rules that are heading to the Olympics.
For the big picture of the sport, start at our football hub. This page goes deep on the rules only.
The basics: field, downs and scoring
The NFL rulebook sets the field at 360 by 160 feet: 100 yards between the goal lines, a 10-yard end zone at each end, and 53⅓ yards wide. College and high school fields are the same size. Each team has 11 players on the field. The offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards; make it, and the downs start over.
- Touchdown: 6 points, then a try. In the NFL the kick is snapped from the 15-yard line (1 point) and a run or pass from the 2 (2 points). College and high school snap tries from the 3.
- Field goal: 3 points.
- Safety: 2 points, when the ball carrier is downed in his own end zone.
NFL and college games have four 15-minute quarters; high school uses four 12-minute quarters. All three levels give the offense 40 seconds between most plays and 25 seconds after stoppages like timeouts, scores and penalties.
Football positions explained
The rulebooks mostly care about who is on the line of scrimmage and who may catch a pass. Everything else is coaching. Here are the usual positions:
- Offense: the quarterback takes the snap and runs the play. Running backs (halfback, fullback) carry the ball and block. Wide receivers and the tight end catch passes; the tight end also blocks. The offensive line (center, two guards, two tackles) blocks. In college, linemen wear numbers 50-79, which mark them as ineligible to catch a forward pass (with a few exceptions).
- Defense: the defensive line (ends and tackles, including a nose tackle in some fronts) attacks the backfield. Linebackers play behind them, stopping the run and covering short passes. The secondary (cornerbacks and safeties) covers receivers.
- Special teams: the kicker, punter, long snapper, holder and the returners, plus the coverage units.
Each position asks something different of the body: linemen live in collisions, receivers and defensive backs sprint and cut. Our football training page looks at conditioning by position, and football injuries covers what each one tends to get hurt.
NFL vs college vs high school: the key rule differences
| Rule | NFL | College (NCAA) | High school (NFHS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarters | 4 × 15 min | 4 × 15 min | 4 × 12 min |
| Catch | Two feet in bounds | One foot in bounds | One foot (or other body part) in bounds |
| Hash marks | 18 ft 6 in apart (the width of the goal posts) | 40 ft apart | 53 ft 4 in apart, splitting the field in thirds |
| Clock after a first down | Keeps running | Stops only in the last 2 minutes of each half | Stops to move the chains |
| Defensive pass interference | Ball at the spot of the foul, automatic first down | Up to 15 yards, automatic first down | 15 yards; first down only if the yardage reaches the line to gain |
| Overtime | One 10-minute period in the regular season; both teams get the ball; ties possible | Possessions from the 25-yard line; 2-point plays from the third overtime; no ties | Set by each state; many use possessions from the 10-yard line |
| Targeting | Personal foul; ejection possible for flagrant hits | 15 yards and ejection for the rest of the game | Personal foul; ejection only if flagrant |
Down by contact. In the NFL, a player who slips and falls untouched can get up and keep running until he’s tackled or touched while down. In college, a runner is down as soon as any part of his body other than hands or feet touches the ground.
Overtime, in detail. Since 2025, the NFL’s regular-season overtime is one 10-minute period in which both teams get a chance to have the ball, even if the first team scores a touchdown; if it’s still tied after that, the next score wins. A regular-season game can still end in a tie. In college, each team gets a possession from the opponent’s 25-yard line. From the second overtime, a team that scores a touchdown must go for two, and from the third, teams simply trade two-point plays until one misses. High school overtime is up to each state association. In Michigan, for example, each team starts first-and-goal from the 10, and if the defense gets the ball the play is dead.
High school quirks. NFHS rules have no “offsides” in the NFL sense: a defender who enters the neutral zone kills the play as encroachment. A kick that breaks the plane of the goal line is dead right away. Only roughing the passer, kicker, snapper or holder give an automatic first down. Many states also run the clock continuously in lopsided games; in Michigan that starts when a team leads by 35 or more in the second half.
What changed for 2026
- NFL: the “dynamic kickoff” became permanent in 2025, with touchbacks brought out to the 35. For 2026, a kickoff that goes for a touchback from the 50-yard line is spotted at the 20, a team may declare an onside kick at any point in the game, and players penalized three times for hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching or blindside blocks face a one-game suspension.
- College: a targeting foul still means ejection, but a second-half foul no longer carries over into the next game. A second targeting foul in the same season adds the first half of the next game, and a third adds a one-game suspension. Offensive pass interference drops to 10 yards, coaches can earn a third replay challenge, and the fair catch kick, a free field-goal try after a fair catch, arrives in college.
- High school: from 2026, mouth guards can’t carry attachments that don’t help protect the teeth or mouth.
Flag football rules
Flag football keeps the passing game and drops the collisions. In NFL FLAG, the biggest youth flag program, teams play 5v5 on a field 70 yards long and 30 wide, with two 10-yard end zones and halves of 15 to 25 minutes. There’s no tackling, diving, blocking or screening; defenders pull a flag to end the play. The quarterback can’t run the ball past the line of scrimmage, only designated rushers may go after the quarterback, and a team gets four downs to cross midfield and then three to score. A mouthguard is the only protective gear.
High school girls flag football got its first national NFHS rules book for the 2025-26 season, so states can now play under one set of rules. At the LA 2028 Olympics, men’s and women’s teams will play 5v5 on a 50-yard field, 25 yards wide with two 10-yard end zones, in two 20-minute halves. More on who runs what on our football leagues and associations page, and on the youth versions on youth football.
Safety rules every player should know
Many of football’s rules exist to protect players. Targeting, leading with the crown of the helmet or hitting a defenseless player in the head or neck area, is a 15-yard foul in college and a personal foul in high school. Horse-collar tackles, pulling a runner down backward or sideways by the inside of the collar (and in high school, the nameplate area), are fouls too, and the NFL now suspends repeat offenders for hip-drop and horse-collar tackles. If a player shows concussion signs, NFHS rules say he must leave the game and can’t return until an appropriate health care professional clears him. Read more in football injuries.
Gear for refs, coaches and backyard games
Whether you coach a flag team or just want a real game in the park, three things help. The Wilson GST is a leather game ball that Wilson handcrafts from Horween leather in Ada, Ohio, by the same craftspeople who make the NFL’s leather balls. The Fox 40 Classic is a pealess whistle many officials use. And the Franklin Sports flag football set has 10 belts, cones and a field marker for a full 5v5 game. Prices change often. These are what we saw at a major retailer in October 2026.
Wilson GST Leather Game Football
- Official size
- Horween leather, made in Ada, Ohio
- About $120
Franklin Sports Flag Football Set (10 Player)
- 10 belts for 5v5
- 4 cones + field marker
- About $25
Helmets, pads and mouth guards are on our football gear page. For soccer’s rulebook, see soccer rules. Players who spend a long game on their feet may also like our recovery shoes guide.
Football rules questions
How many feet do you need in bounds for a catch?
Two in the NFL. One in college and high school; in high school, another body part such as a knee also counts if it comes down in bounds first.
How long is a high school football quarter?
Twelve minutes under NFHS rules, so 48 minutes of game clock. The NFL and college play 15-minute quarters, 60 minutes in all.
Can an NFL game end in a tie?
In the regular season, yes, if the score is still level after the 10-minute overtime. Playoff games continue until there’s a winner. College games can’t end in a tie.
What is targeting in football?
Forcible contact with the crown of the helmet, or to the head or neck area of a defenseless player. In college it means 15 yards and ejection for the rest of the game; in high school it’s a personal foul, with ejection only if the official judges it flagrant.
How many players are on a flag football team?
NFL FLAG and the 2028 Olympics play 5v5; Olympic rosters have 10 players. Some leagues play 7v7, so check your league’s rules.