What is a catch in college football in 2024-25? How the NCAA differs from the NFL
Do you know what constitutes a catch in college football? Do the refs?
It can be confusing sometimes, and it's even become a recurring joke among college football fans that no one really knows what a catch is.
But there are a lot of factors that can come into play or create confusion, like one or two feet in bounds, did the receiver bobble it or did they have control?
Thankfully we do know how a catch is as defined in the NCAA’s official rulebook. And given that college football’s biggest games are just around the corner, it’s probably a good idea to brush up on how completing a college football catch works in the NCAA.
Though officials on the field may rule catches on a subjective matter, here’s now making a catch is defined in the NCAA online rulebook.
What is a catch in college football, as defined by the NCAA?
As per the NCAA rulebook, there are three main parts to defining a catch. For a catch to occur, the player:
Pretty simple, right?
The act of securing the ball and making a “football move” are the key elements here. And in the NCAA, a player only needs to have one foot down and in bounds to secure the catch, unlike the NFL which requires both feet.
That being said, there are three stipulations to the above rules which must be satisfied in order for a pass to be ruled a catch. They are as follows:
All that basically means that a loss of control that is not recovered before the ball touches the ground does not count as a catch. But, if the player does regain control of the ball inbounds before touching the ground, that counts as a catch.
And, perhaps most importantly, when it's in question, the catch is not complete.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: What is a catch in college football in 2024-25? How the NCAA differs from the NFL
