Modern strategy · High school and up

RPOs: the most popular strategy in football right now

The run-pass option is the single most influential concept in modern football. The line blocks a run, the quarterback reads one unblocked defender, and he either hands it off or throws to the space that defender left. Nothing else lets an offense be right on so many plays with so little added install.

Levels covered: High school · College · Pro

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The three RPO families

Every RPO is a run play with a throw attached. What changes is where the throw goes.

—Pre-snap RPO — count the box. Six in the box, run it; seven, throw the bubble or now screen. No read after the snap at all, which makes this the safest install.
—Quick-game RPO (attached) — inside zone with a slant, glance, or stick behind it. The quarterback reads a linebacker or the overhang and throws the instant the defender fits the run.
—Downfield RPO — the same run action with a post or glance off the safety. Highest reward, highest risk, and the one most likely to draw an ineligible-downfield flag.

Picking the read defender

Read the defender who is responsible for two things at once: usually the backside linebacker, the overhang, or the safety rolled into the box. The rule for the quarterback is one sentence — "if he sits, I hand it; if he fits, I throw it" — and it should never take more than one look.

Installing RPOs without breaking your offense

RPOs are tags, not new plays. Keep the run install exactly as it is and add the throw on top.

—Week 1: box-count bubble on your base zone run. Pure pre-snap decision.
—Week 2: add a backside slant with a linebacker read.
—Week 3: add the glance versus a single-high safety.
—Always: check your league's ineligible-downfield rule — high school and college allow more linemen depth than the NFL.

Younger levels

At youth and middle school, run the pre-snap version only. Counting the box and throwing a bubble teaches the same decision-making without asking an eleven-year-old quarterback to read a moving linebacker mid-handoff.

Coaches also ask

What is an RPO in football?

A run-pass option: the offensive line blocks a run play while the quarterback reads one unblocked defender and decides after the snap whether to hand the ball off or throw a quick pass.

Are RPOs legal in high school football?

Yes. High school rules allow linemen to be further downfield than the NFL does, which is why RPOs spread through high school football so quickly — but the throw must still leave before linemen pass the allowed depth.

What is the easiest RPO to install?

The pre-snap box count with a bubble screen. The quarterback decides before the snap, so there is no post-snap read to coach.

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