# Rule-book sources: NFHS (high school) and NCAA + Texas UIL

The board checks **alignment at the snap** under four books: NFL, NCAA, **NFHS** and **NCAA + Texas UIL**.
This file lists every rule the NFHS and UIL books encode, where it comes from, and its status.
The NFL and NCAA sources are unchanged from before (see the header comment in `index.html` and the
"RULES SOURCES" notes: operations.nfl.com 2026 rulebook, ncaa.org playing rules), except for the end
man, which is settled per book, with rule text, in E-01, and the NFL dynamic kickoff's setup-zone
counts, read in the official 2026 text, in K-01.

The NFHS rule book is sold, not published, so **every NFHS rule below is taken from a public, citable
source**: NFHS rule-change announcements, NFHS-hosted and state-association difference sheets, and
officials' associations that publish rule text. Where no public source confirmed an NFHS difference,
the board **mirrors NCAA and the row says UNVERIFIED**. Nothing is guessed.

Checked 2026-09-26; the end-man rule was re-checked the same day (v91, see E-01). Code: `BOOKS`, `scrimmageKickShape`, `checkLegality`, `fieldKind` and
`fieldStatic` in `index.html`. Tests: `tests/rules.test.mjs` (one legal and one illegal case per
implemented rule, with the exact threshold).

## Status key

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Implemented** | The NFHS (or UIL) rule is encoded and a public source states it. |
| **Implemented (mirrors NCAA)** | A public source confirms NFHS matches NCAA here, so the existing check applies unchanged. |
| **Partial** | Encoded as far as a still diagram allows; the part that needs downs or jersey numbers is not checked. |
| **Verified: not a foul (removed)** | The rule text shows that what the board used to flag is legal in that book, so the check was taken out of it. |
| **UNVERIFIED (mirrors NCAA)** | No public source found for the NFHS position; the NCAA check is applied as it stands. |
| **Not checkable** | Concerns motion, timing or contact, which a still diagram cannot show (true in every book). |

## NFHS coverage

| # | Rule | NFHS rule | What the board does | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N-01 | Scrimmage formation: at least 5 on the line, no more than 4 backs | 2-14-1, 7-2-5a (2019 wording) | Own test and own message ("5 players in the backfield... no more than 4"). With the 11 players the board requires this is the same outcome as NCAA's seven on the line. | Implemented | [NFHS 2019 rule changes](https://nfhs.org/resources/sports/football-rules-changes-2019); [MWFOA Rule 2](https://mwfoa.com/rule-2/); [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) |
| N-02 | At least five linemen numbered 50-79 on the line | 7-2-5b | Same check as NCAA: an interior-line role stands in for a 50-79 number. | Implemented (mirrors NCAA) | [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) |
| N-03 | Scrimmage-kick formation: nobody in position for a hand-to-hand snap, and a player 10+ yd deep for the long snap, or a holder 7+ yd deep with the kicker no more than 3 yd behind him | 2-14-2 | `scrimmageKickShape()` reads the alignment (snap lane = 2 yd either side of the ball, tolerance 1e-6). Only this shape earns the numbering exception. **Also applied to NCAA and UIL**: both difference sheets list the college definition as "the same, plus it must be obvious a kick will be attempted". | Implemented | [MWFOA Rule 2](https://mwfoa.com/rule-2/) (article text); [SDHSAA 2025 differences](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf); [NFHS-hosted 2020 differences](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf) |
| N-04 | Numbering exception only on fourth down or a try; on 1st-3rd down only the snapper may wear a number outside 50-79 | 7-2-5 Exception | The board has no downs: it treats a kicking unit as the fourth-down or try unit it is drawn for, and exempts it only when N-03 holds. A fake punt on third down is not modelled. | Partial | [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf); [NFHS-hosted 2020](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf); [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) |
| N-05 | No alignment restriction on defenders over the snapper against a kick (NCAA and NFL keep them outside the snapper's frame) | none (the sheets list "No restrictions") | The snapper-frame check is skipped under NFHS: legal in NFHS, illegal in NCAA and NFL. | Implemented | [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf) and [NFHS-hosted 2020](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf), row "Defensive Formation on Place Kicks" |
| N-06 | No cap on defenders either side of the snapper (the six-per-side cap is NFL only) | none | Not applied (it never was outside the NFL). | Implemented (mirrors NCAA) | Same row as N-05 ("NFHS: No restrictions") |
| N-07 | Kickoff from the kicking team's 40 (NCAA and NFL: 35) | 6-1-1 | Free kicks are pinned to the book's line, as the dynamic kickoff always was: `fieldKind` returns `fk40` (NFHS, UIL) or `fk35` (NFL, NCAA); the field is drawn from there, labelled "OWN 40", and the inbounds-at-the-snap rule is judged there. | Implemented | [MWFOA Rule 6](https://mwfoa.com/rule-6/); [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf); [NFHS-hosted 2020](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf) |
| N-08 | At least four kicking-team players on each side of the kicker | 6-1-4 | Existing free-kick check, unchanged. | Implemented (mirrors NCAA) | [MWFOA Rule 6](https://mwfoa.com/rule-6/); [Referee "Kick Starts" (WPFOA copy)](https://www.wpfoa.org/mechanics-materials/referee-magazine-articles/kick-starts/) |
| N-09 | Nobody but the kicker more than 5 yd behind the kicking team's free-kick line | 6-1-3b | New check: a kicking-team player deeper than 5 yd (other than the kicker) is flagged; exactly 5.0 yd is legal. **Also added to NCAA and UIL**, whose rule 6-1-2 says the same; it was missing from the board. The NFL book is unchanged. | Implemented | [MWFOA Rule 6](https://mwfoa.com/rule-6/) (article text); NCAA: [SDCFOA 6-1-2](https://www.sdcfoa.org/ncaa/rule-6-kicks/college-6-1-2) |
| N-10 | Receiving team's free-kick line 10 yd beyond the kicking team's | 6-1-1 | Existing check ("inside the 10-yard restraining zone"), unchanged. | Implemented (mirrors NCAA) | [MWFOA Rule 6](https://mwfoa.com/rule-6/) |
| N-11 | Hash marks 53 ft 4 in from each sideline, dividing the field in thirds (NCAA 60 ft, NFL 70 ft 9 in) | 1-2-3(5) | The field draws the inbounds lines where the chosen book puts them. | Implemented | [MWFOA Rule 1](https://mwfoa.com/rule-1/); [NFHS-hosted 2020](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf) ("Divide field in thirds") |
| N-12 | No dynamic kickoff: high school kicks off under the traditional free-kick rules | 6-1 | The NFL dynamic-kickoff sets are marked "NFL-only set" and not judged. | Implemented | [MWFOA Rule 6](https://mwfoa.com/rule-6/) (only the traditional free-kick alignment exists) |
| N-13 | No defender in the neutral zone at the snap | encroachment (article number not in the sources read) | Existing check, unchanged. The sheets confirm NFHS treats it as encroachment, a dead-ball foul. | Implemented (mirrors NCAA); article number UNVERIFIED | [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf) ("Defensive encroachment - dead-ball foul") |
| N-14 | An interior lineman may not be the end man on the line ("cover him with an eligible end") | 7-2-5, 7-5-6a | **Removed from NFHS** (and from NCAA and UIL): it is not a formation foul. 7-2-5 lists the formation and numbering requirements and none concerns the ends; the only end-of-line restriction is the reverse one (a numbering-exception player must be *between* the ends). A 50-79 player on the end is simply ineligible by number (7-5-6a: eligible "by position and number"). See **E-01** below. | Verified: not a foul (removed) | [2010 NFHS rules book, 7-2-5 and 7-5-6](https://www.roanokecountyparks.com/DocumentCenter/View/82/2010-NFHS-Football-Rules); [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) (current 7-2-5 / 7-5-6 text); [Referee, "Formation Consternation Demands Concentration"](https://www.referee.com/formation-consternation-demands-concentration/) |
| N-15 | Everyone inbounds at the snap (the ball-spot rule) | not found | Existing check applied unchanged, at the book's spot. Re-checked 2026-09-26: the NFHS formation article (7-2, in the 2010 text and the current MWFOA text) has no inbounds requirement; the nearest NFHS rule found bans going out of bounds and returning during the down (9-6, illegal participation), which is not an alignment rule. NCAA 7-1-4-a-1 and NFL 7-5-1(c) do state it, so it is confirmed for NCAA, UIL and NFL. Left unchanged for NFHS: the evidence is not clear-cut either way, and it only fires when a set physically cannot fit on the field at the chosen spot. | **UNVERIFIED** for NFHS (mirrors NCAA); confirmed for NCAA / UIL / NFL | [NCAA 2026 rules book, 7-1-4-a-1](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/rules/PRMFB_RulesBook.pdf); [NFL 2026 rules, 7-5-1(c)](https://media.nfl.com/content/dam/communications/Official%20Playing%20Rules/2026%20Official%20Playing%20Rules.pdf); NFHS: none found ([2010 NFHS rules book](https://www.roanokecountyparks.com/DocumentCenter/View/82/2010-NFHS-Football-Rules) 7-2 and 9-6 read) |
| N-16 | Eleven players | 1-1-3 (begin with 11, may continue with fewer) | Existing check: the board requires 11 in every book, as a completeness rule for a diagram. | Implemented (mirrors NCAA) | [MWFOA Rule 1](https://mwfoa.com/rule-1/) |
| N-17 | Only the players next to the snapper may lock legs with him; every other lineman's feet outside his neighbour's | 7-2-2 | Covered by the board's 1.2 yd overlap floor, which applies in every book: two markers that close are already flagged. No separate check. | Implemented (by the existing overlap check) | [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/); [Art of Officiating](https://artofofficiating.com/ready-for-play/nfhs-ncaa-rules-differences/) |
| N-18 | Shift = movement of one or more players (NCAA: two or more); all eleven set for a second after it | 2-39, 7-2-6 | A still diagram shows no movement. | Not checkable | [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf); [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) |
| N-19 | Team A players between the nine-yard marks after the ready-for-play | 1-2-3(6) marks; nine-yard-mark rule | About movement before the snap, not position at it. The marks are not drawn. | Not checkable | [SDHSAA 2025](https://sdhsaa.com/Officials/FB-MajorNFHSvsNCAARulesDifferences.pdf); [MWFOA Rule 1](https://mwfoa.com/rule-1/) |
| N-20 | Only one back may break the plane through the waistline of his nearest lineman (the quarterback under center) | 7-2-3 | Below the diagram's resolution (markers snap to 0.5 / 0.1 yd). | Not checkable | [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) |
| N-21 | Wedge blocking legal on any down (NCAA restricts it on kick returns) | wedge | Blocking after the kick, not alignment. | Not checkable | [NFHS-hosted 2020](https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/1019477/2020-major-nfhs-ncaa-football-rules-differences.pdf) |
| N-22 | 2025 and 2026 NFHS changes | 2025 list; 2026 list and points of emphasis | Checked for anything touching formations: nothing does (equipment, fumbles out of bounds, play cards on the belt, sideline control). | No change needed | [NFHS 2025 changes](https://nfhs.org/resources/sports/football-rules-changes-2025); [NSGA on the 2026 changes](https://nsga.org/news/nfhs-makes-football-rule-changes-for-2026/) |

**Count:** 22 rows. **14 verified** with a confirming public source (N-01 to N-13 implemented, with N-13's article number unverified, and N-14 verified as *not* a foul and removed), 1 partial (N-04), 1 implemented through the existing overlap check (N-17), 1 completeness rule (N-16), **1 UNVERIFIED and mirroring NCAA (N-15)**, 4 not checkable from a diagram (N-18 to N-21), and 1 review of the latest change lists (N-22).

*Before 2026-09-26 (v91) the count was 13 verified, 1 partial, 2 UNVERIFIED (N-14, N-15).*

## E-01: the end man, per book (re-checked 2026-09-26, v91)

**The old check** (every book): if the player at either end of the line has an interior-line role (a
lineman, standing in for a 50-79 number), the set is an illegal formation: "cover him with an eligible
end". Mark's re-evaluation of 2026-09-26 warned that this might not be a formation foul outside the NFL,
which would flag legal unbalanced (tackle-over) sets. The rule texts bear that out. Two different things
were mixed up: an **illegal formation** (a foul at the snap, 5 yards) and an **ineligible receiver** (no
foul at the snap; a foul only if he catches a pass or goes downfield early on a pass).

| Book | What the rule text says | Conclusion | What the board does now | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **NFL** | 7-5-1, at the snap: (b) eligible receivers must be on both ends of the line; (e) players in eligible positions must wear an eligible number unless they have reported under 5-3-1. Penalty: illegal formation, 5 yards. A 50-79 player may play an end only after reporting to the Referee as eligible. | **Formation foul: VERIFIED** (unless he reported) | Check kept, NFL only. The message now cites 7-5-1 and says the lineman may instead report as eligible (5-3-1), since a still diagram cannot show a report. | [NFL 2026 Official Playing Rules, 7-5-1 and 5-3-1](https://media.nfl.com/content/dam/communications/Official%20Playing%20Rules/2026%20Official%20Playing%20Rules.pdf) (same text in [2025](https://media.nfl.com/content/dam/communications/Official%20Playing%20Rules/2025%20Official%20Playing%20Rules.pdf)); rule index at [operations.nfl.com](https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-rulebook/) |
| **NCAA** | 7-1-4-a lists the formation requirements: all inbounds, everyone a lineman or a back, at least five linemen numbered 50-79, no more than four backs. None concerns the ends. 7-3-3-c: an end is eligible only if he wears a number other than 50-79, so a 50-79 end is just ineligible. 2-27-4-c and A.R. 7-1-3-V describe a lineman wearing 50-79 "on the end of the line" as a normal alignment. The only end-of-line foul is the reverse case: a scrimmage-kick numbering-exception player may not be an end (7-1-4-a-5). | **Not a formation foul: VERIFIED** | Check **removed**. What stays is what 7-1-4-a lists: 7 on the line (no more than 4 backs, with 11) and 5 interior-line roles on the line. | [NCAA 2026 Football Rules and Interpretations](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/rules/PRMFB_RulesBook.pdf) (7-1-4-a, 7-3-3-c, 2-27-4, A.R. 7-1-3-V); [2025 book (TASO copy)](https://taso.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-NCAA-FB-Rule-Book.pdf); [2026 rule changes](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/rules/2026PRMFB_2026RuleChanges.pdf) (only the kick exception changed) |
| **NFHS** | 7-2-5: at least five on the line numbered 50-79 (and, 7-2-5a, at least five on the line with no more than four backs); the numbering exceptions require the exception player to be between the ends. 7-5-6a: receivers are eligible by position *and* number. Nothing makes a 50-79 end a foul; NFHS has no reporting, so he is always ineligible. | **Not a formation foul: VERIFIED** | Check **removed**. | [2010 NFHS rules book, 7-2-5 and 7-5-6](https://www.roanokecountyparks.com/DocumentCenter/View/82/2010-NFHS-Football-Rules); [MWFOA Rule 7](https://mwfoa.com/rule-7/) (current text); [Referee, "Formation Consternation Demands Concentration" (NFHS and NCAA)](https://www.referee.com/formation-consternation-demands-concentration/); officials' discussion: [officiating.com forum](https://forum.officiating.com/football/16157-tackle-eligible-requirement.html) |
| **NCAA + Texas UIL** | None of the UIL's 57 exceptions to the NCAA book touches 7-1-4, 7-3-3 or 2-27-4 (its only 2-27 item is 2-27-12, disqualification). | Same as NCAA: **not a foul** | Check **removed** (UIL follows NCAA). | [TASO: 2025 UIL Exceptions to NCAA Rules](https://taso.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-UIL-Exceptions-Eleven-Man-Revised-2025.pdf) |

The verdict text follows the book: the NFL says "7+ on the line, eligible ends"; NCAA and UIL say "7+ on
the line"; NFHS says "5+ on the line and no more than 4 backs". The Help text and the "Illegal formation"
glossary entry (English and Spanish) say the same. Tests: `tests/end-man.test.mjs`. A tackle-over line
with the tackle on the end passes NCAA, NFHS and UIL and fails the NFL, and the things those books do
list (too few on the line, too many backs, fewer than five linemen numbered 50-79) still fail.

## K-01: NFL 2026 dynamic kickoff, the receiving team's setup-zone counts (checked 2026-09-28)

**Source (official text, read 2026-09-28):** *2026 Official Playing Rules of the National Football
League*, Rule 6, Section 1, Article 3 (Kickoff or Safety Kick Formation), item (b), on the NFL's own
site: [static.www.nfl.com ... tqivdkzt9mu6wdgsh1ku.pdf](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/fl_attachment/league/tqivdkzt9mu6wdgsh1ku.pdf)
(page "Rule 6 / 22"). The same book is linked from [operations.nfl.com, 2026 rulebook](https://operations.nfl.com/rules-officiating/2026-nfl-rulebook).
Earlier board work used the change summaries, which report only "five on the line, up to four off it"
for 2026 and leave out the conditional clause below.

What 6-1-3(b) requires of the receiving team (paraphrased; the board's y is yards from the receiving 40):

| Clause | Requirement | What the board does | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| (b) | All players inbounds and on or behind the restraining line (the 35); at least nine in the setup zone (the 35 to the 30). | "in front of the 35" and "Only {n} players in the setup zone" (unchanged). | Implemented |
| (b)(1) | At least five with a front foot on the restraining line; and, in the rule's words, if the team puts *"more than nine players in the setup zone, then at least six players"* must be. | **Fixed 2026-09-28 (Mark's finding):** five with nine in the zone, six with ten or eleven. Before this the board asked for five whatever the count. | Implemented |
| (b)(2), first sentence | No more than four players in the setup zone off the restraining line, and no more than two in any one of the three areas bordered by the sidelines and inbounds lines. | The two-per-area cap was already checked. The four-off cap is **new**: with nine or ten in the zone it follows from (b)(1), so it only fires with all eleven in the zone and six on the line. It is reported only when the front-foot count is met, so one alignment is never flagged twice. | Implemented |
| (b)(1) a-c | Where the players on the line must stand: at least one between the inbounds lines, and at least one each side between the inbounds line and the top of the numbers and between the bottom of the numbers and the sideline. | **Not checked.** The board draws the inbounds lines but not the yard-line numbers, and no public source in this file gives the numbers' distance from the sideline. | Not checked (gap) |
| (b)(2), second sentence | With four off the line, at least one of them between the sideline and the inbounds line on each side. | **Not checked.** | Not checked (gap) |
| (b)(3) | At least three players outside the inbounds line on each side of the field. | **Not checked.** | Not checked (gap) |

The seeded "NFL Dynamic Kickoff Return" (nine in the zone, seven on the 35 at 0, 7, 14 and 21 yd each
side of the middle, two off it one each side, two returners deep) satisfies (b), (b)(1), (b)(2) and
(b)(3) as the board counts them; (b)(1) a-c looks satisfied by that spread but was not measured,
since the numbers' position is not sourced here. Tests:
`tests/kickoff-2026.test.mjs` (ten in the zone with five on the 35 fails and with six passes, the old
engine is shown to pass it, the nine-in-the-zone threshold is unchanged, the four-off cap, EN and ES).

## Texas: NCAA + UIL exceptions

Texas high schools play the NCAA book with the UIL's published exceptions. The 2025-26 list has 57
exceptions; the board read all of them for anything touching formation, alignment or the snap.

| # | Exception | What the board does | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-01 | 6-1-1: the kicking team's restraining line on a kickoff is its **40** (NCAA: 35) | Free kicks are spotted at the 40 under "NCAA + Texas UIL" (as under NFHS); everything else is NCAA. | Implemented | [TASO: 2025 UIL Exceptions to NCAA Rules](https://taso.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-UIL-Exceptions-Eleven-Man-Revised-2025.pdf), item 42 |
| U-02 | Hash marks: no UIL exception, so NCAA's 60 ft applies | Drawn at 60 ft, as NCAA. | Implemented (by the absence of an exception) | Same list: items 4-10 cover field markings and none moves the inbounds lines |
| U-03 | 2-16-4: a field goal may be kicked off a tee up to 2 in high | Equipment, not alignment. | Not applicable | Same list, item 27 |
| U-04 | The other 54 exceptions (timing, uniforms, communication, overtime, ejections, officials) | Nothing to encode. | Not applicable | Same list |

Checked by test: under "NCAA + Texas UIL" every seeded set gets exactly the NCAA verdict, and a
kickoff is spotted at the 40.

## Changes to the NCAA book made along the way

Two NCAA rules were missing from the board and are now checked, because the NFHS work showed the
books agree on them and a board that flagged them under NFHS only would be claiming a difference that
does not exist:

1. **NCAA 6-1-2**, nobody but the kicker more than 5 yd behind the restraining line on a free kick (N-09).
2. **The scrimmage-kick formation shape** (N-03) now decides the numbering exception, instead of the
   unit's `kick:'scrimmage'` flag. Every seeded punt and field-goal unit passes it.

Both are covered by `tests/rules.test.mjs`, and `validate()` still returns `[]` under all four books.

## Not from the rule books

The wristband panel sizes (Adult 4.5 x 2.5 in, Youth 3.5 x 2.25 in) are the common insert sizes for
three-window wrist coaches; brands vary, so the print dialog tells the coach to print one test card at
100% scale first. Source: [My-Team Sports wristband template guide](https://my-teamsports.com/blog/football-play-wristband-template).