Incorporating Midline and Veer Concepts into a Wing T Offense

By Jeremy Christensen
Head Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Minneswaka High School (MN)
Twitter: @coachC_LakerFB

The offensive schemes I have been around as a player and coach are the Wing T and Triple Option, and I love each of them! Both schemes are great but can provide a lethal running game as a combination. The under-center Wing T and Triple Option share some similarities that make the combination possible. They both are great for small and mid-sized schools that do not regularly get offensive linemen that are 6'5" and 300 lbs. (although when you do get those student-athletes it is the icing on the cake!). Instead, these schemes utilize "regular-sized" athletes upfront, as well as angles and double teams to help those athletes be successful. Depending on how you run your offense you can even share blocking rules between both systems. Both offenses also control the clock with the running game, while utilizing multiple ball carriers, and play-action passing to keep defenses honest. So why not combine them and try to get the best of both worlds? When done correctly it can be a great fit but be careful not to overextend yourself and attempt to add too much Triple Option to your Wing T scheme or vice versa. Both schemes are detail-oriented and expensive, so you must pick the pieces that fit best for your team and needs. In my opinion, when adding option concepts to the Wing T, that is Midline (as a double option) and Inside Veer. These option attacks are different from the more common Wing T Options like Trap Option and Belly Option because they involve a Dive Read for the QB instead of just a Pitch Read. Yes, this is more time consuming to teach your QB's but they are more deceptive Options in my opinion than Trap and Belly Option. We melded the two together for about 12 years, before falling completely in love with the Triple Option and running it exclusively for the last two seasons. The following information is what we used from 2007-2017 with success at two different schools.

We are basic in our Wing T formations, running most of our offense from Base 100/900 and Split 100/900, but we also use Over 100/900 to get a numbers advantage at times, and Pro 100/900 to give defenses a little different look. We feel being simple in formations allows us to be more complex (multiple schemes) in our running game. Most of these formations also allow us to run our plays to either side as we are still balanced three RB sets. That allows us to allow our QB check plays at the line of scrimmage. If the defense aligns a certain way, we can simply "Check opposite! Check opposite!" and run the called play to the other side of the formation without shifts or motions.

Base Wing T Alignment:

Our OL uses 2-3-foot splits depending on the play call, and the ability of our personnel upfront. The more athletic we are the wider our splits will be. If we have an offensive line that is a little slower footed, we'll use smaller splits. 2. Our FB is at a depth of 5 yards from the LOS at his heels in a three-point stance. 3. Our HB is at a depth of 4-5 yards (depending on quickness) at his heels in a two-point stance and stacked right in the G-T split. 4. Our WB is in a two-point stance 1' x 1' from our Tackle's outside leg. We have our WB face straight forward so he can easily scan the defense. The Split Ends will be at the top of the numbers unless we tell them differently.