Position-aware evaluation for freshmen through seniors. Honest tier scoring across D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO. Parent-approved outreach to the right coach.
Football isn't one evaluation — a D1 outside linebacker and a D1 offensive tackle aren't built from the same blueprint. PathPlay scores against position-specific tiers, so the tier you land in matches who you actually are on the field.
D1 QB fit hinges on a sub-4.80 forty + a 3.3 GPA — at D3/NAIA the forty opens to 5.10 and the academic bar carries more of the decision than raw speed.
D1 backs live at sub-4.55 forty; D2 backs at 4.85 carry the load anyway. At D3 + NAIA a 5.10 forty is workable — vision, balance, and passing-down reps become the differentiator.
D1 receivers need sub-4.60 forty plus the vertical jump to win at the line. D3/NAIA scoring rewards route precision and hands — a 5.10 forty is still a fit when the film backs it up.
D1 tight ends walk the line — 4.70 forty plus blocking reps. Lower tiers grade on every-down reliability, not pure speed; academics get a real vote at D3/NAIA.
D1 offensive line priors are weight + leverage over forty time. D3/NAIA thresholds widen to 5.30 — at every level the core GPA and a frame-based projection matter more than a single sprint.
D1 D-line reads as sub-4.95 with size; D2 widens to 5.0; D3/NAIA up to 5.30. Get-up-the-field quickness and pad level are the projection inputs the engine doesn't fake.
D1 linebackers sit at sub-4.90 forty and D3 widens to 5.15. At lower tiers the GPA becomes a real lever — a 3.0+ LB at 5.05 is a fit on the right NAIA roster.
D1 corners and safeties need a sub-4.60 forty plus verified testing. D3/NAIA scoring weighs ball-skills and tackling — a 5.10 DB with strong film is still a fit.
Kickers are evaluated on leg and accuracy rather than the forty. D1 and D2 both look for verified field-goal range; D3/NAIA walk-on slots are common and the GPA core is the gate.
Football timelines aren't a single calendar — D1 starts evaluating two years out, D2 waits until junior year, and D3 + NAIA recruiting genuinely picks up across the junior summer. The engine below applies a grad-year modifier so the tier score reflects the realistic window, not the artificial one.
The earliest serious window. Coaches start cataloging multi-year film, going to camps, and identifying sophomore tape for the next cycle. If your grad year is two years out, the engine treats you as one tier lower — yours to climb.
D2 recruiting opens in earnest around the junior spring and the following summer. A junior-year form spike or testing update moves the score with it.
D3 and NAIA both run a junior-summer window for first-touch outreach. Walk-on slots, academic spots, and late rising juniors all overlap here.
NAIA programs run a longer window — junior summer through senior fall — and the academic profile carries the conversation more than the 40-time.
PathPlay's football placement engine reads your forty-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, GPA, core GPA, and grad year against per-tier rule tables — and applies a position override on the forty threshold when your position allows it.
Every tier (D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO) has a distinct rule set with required gates and weighted metrics; the engine returns a confidence rating per tier (Strong, Likely, Stretch, Reach) so the recommendation is honest about where the fit is real and where it's a reach.
Position-specific forty: skill positions (WR, RB, DB) carry stricter thresholds, OL/DL/LB carry wider ones — so a 5.05 forty reads as a fit at D3 LB and a miss at D1 WR. That's the differentiation, not a stylistic preference.