Fed: shifts involving potential snapper

[Robert Goodman]

This comes out of a discussion on a coaching Web site.

The ball is ready for play by snap, and A1, facing forward, has a hand behind his line of scrimmage and near the ball but not touching it. (No other player of A is touching the ball either.) 5 other players of A are some distance away to the left of him facing forward behind their line of scrimmage with their heads breaking the plane of A1's waist and one or both hands on or near the ground. 1 other player of A is similarly positioned to the right of A1. Then A1 and the aforementioned players from his left shift to their right to form a balanced line around A2, who as part of the shift puts his hand on the ball and faces forward.

Was this a false start? Does A1 get treated as a snapper as long as he looks like he might be the snapper, and are players of A determined to be on the line on that basis? Or is there no such thing in Fed as position on A's line until a player of A has a hand on the ball?