Wide Receiver re-establish in bounds

[oldtimeqb]

Last night the UVA receiver was pushed out of bounds by the DB around the 5 yd line. The WR came back in bounds and both feet were in bounds before he caught the game tying TD. 

Is this rule the same for NFHS? 

[Bobref]

3 hours ago, oldtimeqb said:

Last night the UVA receiver was pushed out of bounds by the DB around the 5 yd line. The WR came back in bounds and both feet were in bounds before he caught the game tying TD. 

Is this rule the same for NFHS? 

Under NFHS rules, if an A player is forced out of bounds by an opponent, he may legally continue to participate so long as he returns inbounds at the “earliest opportunity.” So, the real question is “when a player is out of bounds, what must he do to change his status to inbounds?” The rule is very clear: A player who is out of bounds “remains out of bounds until returning to the field with any body part touching the field and no body part touching out of bounds.”

[JustRules]

The part Bob answers is correct for both NCAA and NFHS. They are dealt with the same in both codes. The other situation like this is if the receiver steps OOB accidentally with no contact from a defender. Per HS rules, if the receiver does this, he's guilty of illegal participation the moment he steps back in bounds. If he does this while running down the sideline he technically commits the foul every time he steps out of bounds with one foot and then steps in bounds with the other foot. Enforcement is 15 yards from the previous spot and replay the down. He doesn't need to actually participate in order for the foul to occur. It's a very severe penalty. The NCAA rule is different. It only turns into a foul if the receiver is the first to touch a legal forward pass. If the ball isn't throw to him or the pass it tipped by the defense before he touches it. there is no foul. The penalty though if he is the first to touch it is a loss of down at the previous spot. It's essentially treated like an incomplete pass. The ball remains live however. If the receiver tips it, and it's caught by a defender or he catches it and subsequently fumbles and recovered by the defense, it's a turnover. The NCAA officials will drop their hat when they see the receiver go OOB to indicate he saw the receiver go OOB and knows how he got there. Any potential foul is delayed. You'll see some HS officials do the same thing, but it's not necessary. It's either a foul when he returns (went out on his own or didn't return immediately when forced out) and you throw your flag or it's not a foul (forced out and returned immediately) and no flag is thrown.

[Bobref]

14 hours ago, JustRules said:

You'll see some HS officials do the same thing, but it's not necessary. It's either a foul when he returns (went out on his own or didn't return immediately when forced out) and you throw your flag or it's not a foul (forced out and returned immediately) and no flag is thrown.

Only thing to add to @JustRules’ excellent explanation is that this type of illegal participation is, potentially, a spot foul for enforcement purposes. So, when you throw the flag, get it on the spot of the foul, which is where the player returns to the field inbounds.

[First_Backer_Inside]

Interesting, has the rule always been that for a high school player that steps out on their own, or has that been changed in recent years? I was always under the impression where it was a lot like the college rule, if someone else touched the ball the player could then possess the ball after. 

Edited December 8, 2025 by First_Backer_Inside

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, First_Backer_Inside said:

Interesting, has the rule always been that for a high school player that steps out on their own, or has that been changed in recent years? I was always under the impression where it was a lot like the college rule, if someone else touched the ball the player could then possess the ball after. 

That’s been the rule as long as I can remember. And remember, even if he’s guilty of illegal participation, he’s still an eligible receiver. He can legally catch the ball. And, he can be interfered with.