I-Formation
The quarterback stands right behind the center with a fullback and a running back lined up behind him, forming a straight line built for power running.
Tip: Look for three red O's in a straight line behind the center: the quarterback, then the fullback, then the tailback.
How to Spot It
I-Form starts with the quarterback under center, standing right behind the center to take the ball straight from his hands. Behind him are two backs in a straight line. From above, the three red O's form a vertical line, like the letter I.
The first back is the fullback. He is a blocking back who stands a few yards behind the quarterback and leads the way into the hole. The second is the tailback, the main runner, who lines up deepest, often around seven yards back. In cover0, if a tight end stands in the fullback spot, it still counts as I-Form.
Around them, look for one or two tight ends and two wide receivers. Fewer receivers and more big bodies near the line are normal here, because the formation is built to run the ball.
When Teams Use It
I-Form is made for power running. The fullback leads, the tailback follows, and the offense tries to push the defense backward. It is common on short yardage, near the goal line and when a team with a lead wants to run out the clock.
It also sets up play-action, a fake handoff before a pass. Once defenders expect a run, a fake to the tailback can pull linebackers forward and open space behind them. The formation has become rarer in the NFL. In the plays cover0 draws from, it fell from 10.7 percent of plays in 2016 to 6.1 percent in 2022.
History
Nobody knows for sure who drew up the first I. Tom Nugent is generally credited with developing it while he was head coach at Virginia Military Institute, before he moved on to Florida State and Maryland. Don Coryell also built an I-formation running game at Whittier College in the late 1950s.
Coryell joined USC as an assistant in 1960, the first season of John McKay's run as head coach. McKay made the I the heart of his offense, and USC became famous for its tailbacks. Mike Garrett won the Heisman Trophy in 1965 and O.J. Simpson won it in 1968. McKay's teams won national titles in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1974.
Pro teams picked up the I after its college success, and for decades it was a standard way to run the ball. Its use has dropped as the fullback has faded and offenses have spread out with more receivers.
Coaches Known for It
Tom Nugent. He is generally credited with developing the I-formation at VMI. He went on to coach Florida State and Maryland.
John McKay. Head coach at USC from 1960 to 1975, he turned the I into a tailback factory that produced Heisman winners Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson. He later became the first head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kyle Shanahan. One of his first moves as San Francisco's head coach in March 2017 was signing fullback Kyle Juszczyk to a four-year, $21 million deal, a record for the position at the time. The 49ers re-signed Juszczyk in 2021, keeping a true fullback in an era when the I has grown rare.
How Often It's Used
Share of the plays cover0 could label each season.
| Season | Share |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 10.7% |
| 2017 | 12.1% |
| 2018 | 9.8% |
| 2019 | 8.9% |
| 2020 | 7.3% |
| 2021 | 6.2% |
| 2022 | 6.1% |
| 2023 | 2.5% |
| 2024 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | 3.8% |
Charted by NFL Next Gen Stats through 2022 and by FTN Data from 2023, so part of any jump between 2022 and 2023 comes from the change of source.
More offensive formations
Sources
- ESPN: John McKay obituary (2001) (opens in a new tab)
- Seattle Times: John McKay, football coaching legend, dies (opens in a new tab)
- Whittier College: Don Coryell dies at 85 (opens in a new tab)
- ESPN: Whittier College once had Allen, Coryell (opens in a new tab)
- CBS Sports: Fullbacks were the biggest winners (2017) (opens in a new tab)
- Florida State Athletics (AP): Tom Nugent dies at 92 (opens in a new tab)
Written for cover0. Usage numbers come from the play data credited on the About page.