The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(02-01-2022 01:56 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  

(02-01-2022 11:05 AM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-01-2022 10:44 AM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  Forgive me guys it's been so long since I've thrown a football but isn't the Pro ball a bit narrower than the college ball? If so, I wonder how that translates to Des with those 10 inch hands? I know it still mainly boils down to arm mechanics and footwork but you'd think he could really grip and spin a pro ball.

No, the NFL football just looks that way because it has no stripes.

Actually, we're both wrong...college footballs are smaller in size than pro ones.

Quote:Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw a football during position drills in June 2018 — the first time he had done so in front of reporters since the team shut him down in October 2017 as he tried to work his way back from a 2015 shoulder injury. But during his summer practice, Luck was chucking a college football — not an NFL one.

That’s because college footballs are typically smaller than NFL ones, so it put less stress on Luck’s surgically repaired shoulder. Both college and NFL footballs weigh 14 to 15 ounces. But their overall size differs.

To get into the weeds, the circumference of college footballs ranges from 20 3/4 inches to 21 1/4 inches lengthwise from end to end, versus 21 inches to 21 1/4 inches in the NFL. At the widest point of the ball, the circumference is 27 3/4 inches to 28 1/2 inches in college and 28 inches to 28 1/2 inches in the NFL. The length from tip to tip ranges from 10 7/8 inches to 11 7/16 inches, although the NFL mandates its balls are 11 inches to 11 1/4 inches.



The variations might seem small, but NFL players can tell the difference. Quarterback Chase Daniel, who has played for six NFL teams and finished college as Missouri’s all-time passing leader, went so far as to say he could “easily” pick out which footballs were used for college versus the NFL — even if he was blindfolded. “They’re bigger here in the NFL,” Daniel says. “I like the NFL ball. I think you can spin ’em a little bit better.”

Pro Ball A Bit Bigger