Swinging Gate Plays
 

Can the center ever be an eligible receiver? Possible punt formation. If the center (number 48) is the end man on the line of scrimmage and there are 6 other players on the line- lined up to the right of him, is he an eligible receiver?

Canadian Ruling
 

Canadian Ruling

The answer in Canada is yes. The centre is the one on the line who snaps the ball and the whoever is on the end (assuming an eligible number) is an eligible receiver.

There is no rule that they cannot be the same person.

NFHS rules: Yes he can.

Doesn't have to be in scrimmage kick formation, either. He's eligible by number and position in your example.

as long as he is wearing an eligible # and they don't shift to "uncover" him

To clarify:

Many people use the term centre to identity the middle person of the 5 ineligible receivers. If there is an unbalanced line, as in:

E IE T G C G E

In this case, if the C snaps the ball, how is he the centre when there are two players to his one side and four to the other? Makes no sense.

Then the C is not the centre in any form of the word except the silly definition that he snaps the ball.

Personally, I think the two terms should be independent of each other. The Centre is the ineligible between the guards and the Snapper is the player who snaps the ball to the QB. Most times, the C will be the snapper.

Let's assume this formation

WR WR T G G T C WR
QB

FB HB


Now let's say that before the snap, the WR on the right side "shifts" back a step and then sets for a second before the snap. They shifted to make the C eligible. That wouldn't be legal?

The problem (in Canada at least) with the above is that if the WR shifts back then C could be eligible since he is the last on the line, if he has an eligible number. But if he has an eligible number then there are not five ineligibles in a row (TGGT are only four) assuming all the WRs have eligible numbers.

The shift would be legal if there were 5 players on the line numbered 50-79 after the shift and the C had an eligible number.

The shift wouldn't be illegal, But the C would remain ineligible IF he were the numbering exception (7-2-5(b) exception). Shifting to "uncover" the exception is not a foul in NFHS (it is in NCAA).

In HS there is no foul until the exception illegally goes downfield or illegally touches the ball.