An interesting play

[NewGuy]

I agree that it would just be batting as it was not a "catch" as defined in rule 2. Rule 9.7.3 says "any pass in flight may be batted in any direction by an eligible reciever...", so would be a legal play.

It was not an illegal forward pass, becasue a forward pass is done by a player in possesion. A ball is in player possession if a live ball is held or controlled by a player after it has been handed or snapped to him (not the case here), or after he has caught or recovered the ball (which he never did since he didn't contact the ground).

This is Fed, I don't know NCAA