What is the Best Youth Football Offense? Choosing a Youth FB Offense by Age

What is the best youth football offense? This question is about as hard as; what is the meaning of life? There are so many variables as I have previously written about in this series Choosing a Youth Football Offense. When asking the question what is the best youth football offense, you must ask for what age group; 5u, 8U, 10u, or 12u? I think age might be the biggest variable when reviewing the top youth football offenses for your team.

Update 2/15/24 – Updated Age Groups to some Offenses

Read or Listen to the Series on Choosing a Youth Football Offense

• Part 1 – Article / Podcast – Apple or Spotify or YouTube
• Part 2 – Article / Podcast – Apple or Spotify or YouTube
• Part 3 – Article / Podcast – Apple or Spotify or YouTube
• Part 4 – Article / Podcast – Apple or Spotify or YouTube
• Part 5 – Article / Podcast – Apple or Spotify or YouTube
• Part 6 – Article / Podcast Coming Soon

Choosing the Best Youth Football Offense

So in Part 6 of the Choosing a Youth Football Offense series, I will choose Offenses for each youth football age group. This series is about choosing an offense from a new rookie recreational youth football tackle coach’s viewpoint. If you are an experienced youth football tackle coach, your choices my vary. If you disagree then leave a comment below, we all like to learn.

Popular / Top Youth Football Offenses

Here are the top youth football offenses from a survey I’ve run over the last 15 years. Results from my youth football Offense Polling – Offenses %

• I Formation 16%
• Double Wing 12%
• Single Wing 9%
• Wing T 9%
• Power I 9%
• Split / Pro 9%
• Wishbone 8%
• Spread  6%
• Pistol 6%
• T Form 5%
• Beast 4%
• Option 4%
• Off-Set I 4%
• Other  2%

What is the Best Youth Football Offense?

Best youth football offense for 5U

My top youth offenses for 5u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. My version of Power I called PIE / Single Back

The above youth football offenses for youth football are very simple. One or 2 backs handling the football with very little ball handling skills required. Just snap the football and run to the hole. Maybe 4 to 8 plays in total in your playbook. Have fun is the key at this age group.

At this age group I will only run 1 offensive formation with little variations.

Best Youth Football Offense for 6U

My top youth offenses for 6u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. My version of Power I called PIE / Single Back

My choices for 6u youth football offenses are the same for 5u.

At this age group I will only run 1 offensive formation with little variations.

Best Youth Football Offense for 7U

My top youth offenses for 7u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. My version of Power I called PIE / Single Back
5. Unbalanced Single Wing

For 7u offenses I added the Unbalanced Single Wing Offense (UBSW) with one stipulation is that you have a good Center that can snap the short / squat shotgun snap.

At this age group I will only run 1 offensive formation with little variations.

Best Youth Football Offense for 8U

My top youth offenses for 8u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. My version of Power I called PIE / Single Back
5. Unbalanced Single Wing
6. Wishbone (non option)
7. T Formation (non option)
8. Power I (non option)

I keep the same offenses for 8U which might be controversial to many. I know many youth football teams will run just about everything at 8u. I have updated and added those Offense here, but be careful with more than 2 RBs behind QB.

At this age group I will only run 1 offensive formation with a few variations. Maybe 2 formations if the roster’s football IQ can handle the other formation.

Best Youth Football Offense for 9U

My top youth offenses for 9u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. Unbalanced Single Wing
5. Double Tight Double Wing
6. Wishbone
7. T Formation
8. Power I Formation

At 9u, I think most coaches will have a semi experienced youth football team so you can open up the choices for a 9u youth football formation choice. The DTDW is still pretty tough to learn at this age if you have not coached it before. And the T and WB are not the option versions of these offenses. I also should state we are not running Veer with Split Backs at the youth level.

If I have an experienced team at this age group, even at rec, I might run 2 to 3 different offensive formations.

Best Youth Football Offense for 10U

My top youth offenses for 10u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. Unbalanced Single Wing
5. Double Tight Double Wing
6. Wishbone
7. T Formation
8. Power I Formation
9. Wing T

At this age group, I threw in the Wing T. Some coaches might have been running the UBSW and DW at younger ages and the Wing T would be a great addition to your playbook at this age group although your pulling and trapping capabilities will need to be above average.

If I have an experienced team at this age group, even at rec, I am running 2 to 3 different offensive formations.

Best Youth Football Offense for 11U

My top youth offenses for 11u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. Unbalanced Single Wing
5. Double Tight Double Wing
6. Wishbone
7. T Formation
8. Power I Formation
9. Wing T
10. Wildcat / Gun T – Running Focus
11. Pistol

For 11U I will recommend adding the Pistol offense to the list and if you have a great QB maybe a running Gun T.

The Pistol is a great offense to run I formation type plays from a short shotgun and also introduce play action passing. You can also play around with Spread concepts.

The Gun T Offense more focused on running Double Wing type plays out of shotgun might be a good choice for top talented experienced speed teams with a shotgun snapping Center.

A Wildcat running Spread is also an interesting choice at 11U.

If I have an experienced team at this age group, even at rec, I will run 3 different offensive formations along with various tags.

Best Youth Football Offense for 12U

My top youth offenses for 12u tackle football are:

1. Beast Yale Single Wing / Wildcat
2. I Formation
3. Split Backs
4. Unbalanced Single Wing
5. Double Tight Double Wing
6. Wishbone
7. T Formation
8. Power I Formation
9. Wing T
10. Pistol
11. Gun T – Intro more passing
12. Passing Spread

At 12U I am recommending adding the full Gun T and if you have a great passing team, then you can consider a passing Spread Offense. Just know these two Offenses at the youth level are very tough unless you have the studs to run them. I know when I run them, I get pass happy when I should have run the football more.

If I have an experienced team at this age group, even at rec, I will run 3 different offensive formations along with various tags.

I hope you have enjoyed this 6 part series on Choosing a Youth Football Offense. Let me know what you think in the comments.

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What are best youth football offenses to run at the age groups above? Do you have a favorite youth offense for youth football? Let me know in the comments. 

Please leave me a comment below or contact me anytime. I love talking youth football.

Remember to Play for Fun and Winning is Funner!
Coach Parker
Fort Worth, Texas

You can find these top youth football offenses in my Complete youth football coaching eBook package. Check it out now. Click on the image above.

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