Double Wing Offense 101

Created by Pop Warner, the Double wing offense has been tearing defenses apart for 100 years now – that’s a lot of touchdowns.

But the father of the offense, the man who nurtured it, helped it grow into what it has become today, is Don Markham, who set the national high school scoring record, winning the national championship with a whopping 880 points in 14 games. That’s just a shade under 63 points – or nine touchdowns a game!

Double Wing Formation

Much like the wing-T, you’re going to line up a center, two guards, and two tackles in this formation – and you’re going to add two tight ends, and two wingbacks as well. A perfectly symmetric formation, we bring our halfback up to play as the second wing back, with our full back lined up directly behind the quarterback.

Famous Double Wing Offenses

• Late 1960s Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Don Markham’s Early 1990s High School Teams

Double Wing Offense Strengths

• Power Running
• Misdirection

Double Wing Offense Weaknesses

• Long Range Passing
• Can Be Very Complex

Double Wing Offense Plays

If you're interested in learning more about Double Wing Offense, make sure you check out our Double Wing Playbook. It's packed with 10 simple, fun and effective plays designed for youth and high school football. All explained with player responsibilities, step by step diagrams, and implementation tips for coaches.

Below are some sample plays you can check out.

Running Play: Lose Red 34 Zone Blast

Play Strategy

The difference between a zone blocking scheme and a regular one is that in the zone the offensive line moves in complete cohesion in one direction, not trying to move defenders left or right, but moving in a direction together. The defense will be forced to commit to holes that open up, and a RB with good vision can pick apart the defense for huge gains.

Offensive Line

• LT: Blocks DT with LG
• LG: Blocks man with LT
• C: Blocks DT with RG
• RG: Blocks man with C
• RT: Blocks DE with RWB

Backs & Receivers

• TE: Crackback blocks CB
• LWB: Slides inside to cut of DE, moves up to block OB
• RWB: Blocks DE with RT
• FB: Runs blast right, reads playside LB and either cuts back to 2 hole our stays on the 4 track
• QB: Opens to TB, hands off, fakes a waggle left

Coaching Tips

• It’s important for the line to be strong and physical, knocking defenders back and creating movement downfield and to the right.
• The FB needs to keep his eyes up, reading the MLBs as he come up to the LOS, so he can decide which side to makes his cut to.

Passing Play: Blue 76 FB Swing

Play Strategy

This is a good passing play to use on any down, and any situation. The combination of short and long crossing routes are effective for deep or short passing, and against man or zone coverage. While most of the action is happening on the right, I’ve found the routes on the left are most often open, as the strong side CB is forced to cover both the LWB and FB.

Offensive Line

• LT: Pass blocks strong side DE
• LG: Pass blocks man
• C: If no extra rushers, helps LG or RG
• RG: Pass blocks man
• RT: Pass blocks man.

Backs & Receivers

• TE: Runs a drag over the middle
• LWB: Runs a flag route, faking inside first
• RWB: Runs a deep flag route
• Z: Runs a deep in route
• FB: Runs a swing route out left
• QB: Takes a 5-step drop, goes through progression

Coaching Tips

• The swing route is an adjust of the flat, where the back will run parallel to the LOS out to the side line before turning up field and looking back to the QB for a pass.
  The LWB’s double move is at it’s most effective if the QB understands it’s timing, and throws the ball just as the cut back outside is being made.

For more plays like this, check our complete Double Wing Playbook today!

More Football Offenses

• I-Formation Offense: great for playing smash mouth football and overpowering the defense at the line
• Singleback Offense: a versatile passing offense, which also works well for draws and outside runs
• Spread Offense: spreads the defense horizontally, making it easier to isolate man coverage, as well as find and throw to the holes in the zone
• Pro Set Offense: provides excellent balance, allowing you to get the ball to any area of the field very quickly
• Wing-T Offense: an all-time favorite at the youth level, which emphasizes counters, reverses, bootlegs and short passing plays

Or, if you need help develop fundamental offensive skills, don't miss our drill collections covering quarterbacks, offensive line, running backs and receivers.