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3-3-5 Three High Recruiting Guide (CFB 27): Who to Recruit and Why

216 plays charted20 positions on the board

3-3-5 Three High is a multiple defense that changes its coverage shell by call. It lives in odd, tite-spaced fronts on 78% of its snaps.

The snap counts put three interior linemen, one off-ball linebacker, and four defensive backs on the field at starter share. The rest of the lineup rotates by package, which is why the board below runs deeper than eleven.

The strip below shows every formation the book calls, grouped the way the play-call screen groups them. Tap any bubble for the recruiting answer at that spot, then use the board for the full read.

The formations, grouped like the play-call screen

BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-mintLOS3-3-5 Mint4 DL / 2 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2MIKE1WILL1DT1NT1DT2LEDGE1ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 Mint18 plays · 8.2%
BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-3-highLOS3-3-5 3 High3 DL / 3 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2WILL1MIKE1SAM1DT1NT1DT2ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 3 High15 plays · 6.8%
BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-3-high-oddLOS3-3-5 3 High Odd3 DL / 3 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2WILL1MIKE1SAM1DT1NT1DT2ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 3 High Odd15 plays · 6.8%
BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-odd-ghostLOS3-3-5 Odd Ghost3 DL / 3 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2WILL1MIKE1SAM1DT1NT1DT2ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 Odd Ghost15 plays · 6.8%
BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-3-high-pennyLOS3-3-5 3 High Penny4 DL / 2 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2SAM1MIKE1DT1NT1DT2REDGE1ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 3 High Penny12 plays · 5.5%
BallknowerHQ — ballknowerhq.com — 3-3-5-3-high-overLOS3-3-5 3 High Over4 DL / 2 LB / 5 DBFS1SS1SS2CB1CB2MIKE1WILL1REDGE1DT1NT1DT2ballknowerhq.com
3-3-5 3 High Over9 plays · 4.1%

Tap a bubble for the recruiting answer at that spot. Snap shares under each formation are that call's slice of the book.

The sign plan

Counts cover positions at 5% of the book's snaps or more. Bodies per snap decides how many each group needs. Each card jumps to its group on the board.

The board, by position group

Edges Sign 4: 4 rotation Speed Rusher, Power Rusher 4 spots
RLE1Edge 48.0%Rotation Speed Rusher AccelerationFinesse MovesPower Moves

66% of snaps ask for the odd_tite RRE_RLE job, 34% ask for the even_4down RRE_RLE job. Rushes from width in the three-down sub fronts. Dime 3-2 and Nickel 3-3 Mint supply most of these snaps, so he attacks long edges with only one or two interior bodies beside him and has to win without much help. Twist games off his rush are part of the deal. Designated pass rushers in the sub-package fronts. The pair aligns outside in Nickel and Dime spacing and wins with get-off, because a four-man rush has to create pressure while everyone else covers. Contain duty against scrambling quarterbacks comes with the job.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (66% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Speed Rusher

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

Attributes to scout AccelerationFinesse MovesPower Moves

In even, four-down fronts (34% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Speed Rusher

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

Attributes to scout AccelerationFinesse MovesPower MovesBlock Shedding

RRE1Edge 39.7%Rotation Speed Rusher AccelerationFinesse MovesPower Moves

59% of snaps ask for the odd_tite RRE_RLE job, 41% ask for the even_4down RRE_RLE job. Rushes from width in the three-down sub fronts. Dime 3-2 and Nickel 3-3 Mint supply most of these snaps, so he attacks long edges with only one or two interior bodies beside him and has to win without much help. Twist games off his rush are part of the deal. Designated pass rushers in the sub-package fronts. The pair aligns outside in Nickel and Dime spacing and wins with get-off, because a four-man rush has to create pressure while everyone else covers. Contain duty against scrambling quarterbacks comes with the job.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (59% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Speed Rusher

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

Attributes to scout AccelerationFinesse MovesPower Moves

In even, four-down fronts (41% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Speed Rusher

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 245 to 270. Get-off outranks everything else.

Attributes to scout AccelerationFinesse MovesPower MovesBlock Shedding

REDGE1Edge 21.9%Rotation Power Rusheralt: Pure Power Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

75% of snaps ask for the odd_tite REDGE_LEDGE job, 25% ask for the bear_heavy REDGE_LEDGE job. Sets the edge outside the tite front. With the interior trio eating blocks, he squeezes runs back inside and keeps contain against zone schemes, and his rush wins come off power and length more than pure burst. He carries more run responsibility than an even-front edge. Sets a hard edge in heavy fronts. Goal line and bear spacing ask him to close down blockers and force runs back into the pile. Rush matters only after the run is dead.

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 250 to 280. Length outranks timed speed.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (75% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Power Rusher (alt: Pure Power)

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 250 to 280. Length outranks timed speed.

Attributes to scout Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

In bear and heavy fronts (25% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Pure Power

Physical 6'3 to 6'5, 260 to 285. Point-of-attack strength outranks burst.

Attributes to scout Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

LEDGE1Edge 20.6%Rotation Power Rusheralt: Pure Power Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

73% of snaps ask for the odd_tite REDGE_LEDGE job, 27% ask for the bear_heavy REDGE_LEDGE job. Sets the edge outside the tite front. With the interior trio eating blocks, he squeezes runs back inside and keeps contain against zone schemes, and his rush wins come off power and length more than pure burst. He carries more run responsibility than an even-front edge. Sets a hard edge in heavy fronts. Goal line and bear spacing ask him to close down blockers and force runs back into the pile. Rush matters only after the run is dead.

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 250 to 280. Length outranks timed speed.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (73% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Power Rusher (alt: Pure Power)

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 250 to 280. Length outranks timed speed.

Attributes to scout Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

In bear and heavy fronts (27% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Pure Power

Physical 6'3 to 6'5, 260 to 285. Point-of-attack strength outranks burst.

Attributes to scout Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

Corners Sign 4: 2 starter, 2 rotation Zone 4 spots
CB1Corner 95.9%Starter Zonealt: Field Corner Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

Plays every coverage family week to week. Multiple books rotate through man and zone calls, so the boundary corner needs a balanced attribute sheet with no zero categories. Specialists struggle when the call sheet turns. One week he presses and the next he sits in a third, so recruit the trait pair that travels: speed and eyes.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 185 to 200. Versatility outranks any single tool.

CB1/CB2 are the outside pair; boundary vs field is alignment, the depth chart does not split them

CB2Corner 93.2%Starter Zonealt: Field Corner Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

Plays every coverage family week to week. Multiple books rotate through man and zone calls, so the boundary corner needs a balanced attribute sheet with no zero categories. Specialists struggle when the call sheet turns. One week he presses and the next he sits in a third, so recruit the trait pair that travels: speed and eyes.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 185 to 200. Versatility outranks any single tool.

CB1/CB2 are the outside pair; boundary vs field is alignment, the depth chart does not split them

CB3Corner 48.0%Rotation Zone Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

Takes the slot through every package these books carry. Dime sets put a second slot body on the field as CB4, which makes this a sign-two spot in 3-2-6 heavy books. Balanced coverage attributes with a tackling floor set the profile.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 180 to 200. Versatility outranks length.

first slot body; CB_slot rows cover CB3 and CB4

CB4Corner 23.3%Rotation Zone Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

Takes the slot through every package these books carry. Dime sets put a second slot body on the field as CB4, which makes this a sign-two spot in 3-2-6 heavy books. Balanced coverage attributes with a tackling floor set the profile.

Physical 5'9 to 6'0, 180 to 200. Versatility outranks length.

second slot body, on the field in dime sets

Interior DL Sign 4: 3 starter, 1 package Pure Power, Gap Specialist 4 spots
DT1Interior DL 98.6%Starter Pure Poweralt: Power Rusher Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

Plays the long end spots of the odd fronts, from a 4i on the tackle's inside shoulder in tite spacing to a head-up or outside 5-technique in base 3-4 looks. He two-gaps with length and keeps the B-gap closed so runs spill to the edge players. Rush production comes from push and hands rather than speed. 7% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Protections point extra attention at the mugged threats, which leaves the nose and tackle in more one-on-one blocks they are expected to win.

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 285 to 315. Arm length outranks burst.

NT1Interior DL 75.3%Starter Pure Power StrengthBlock Shedding

71% of snaps ask for the odd_tite NT job, 22% ask for the even_4down NT job. Two-gaps the center in tite spacing. He absorbs double teams without giving ground and closes both A-gaps so the linebackers can run. There is no help coming, so mass and leverage are the job. Anchors the front as the shade nose. He controls the A-gap against interior runs and holds his ground against double teams so the MIKE can flow. Pocket push on late downs is a bonus on top of the run-down anchor. 9% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Protections point extra attention at the mugged threats, which leaves the nose and tackle in more one-on-one blocks they are expected to win.

Physical 6'1 to 6'4, 320 to 350. Anchor against doubles outranks every measurable.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (71% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Pure Power

Physical 6'1 to 6'4, 320 to 350. Anchor against doubles outranks every measurable.

Attributes to scout StrengthBlock Shedding

In even, four-down fronts (22% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Gap Specialist (alt: Pure Power)

Physical 6'1 to 6'4, 300 to 330. Anchor strength outranks height.

Attributes to scout Block SheddingStrength

DT2Interior DL 58.9%Starter Pure Poweralt: Power Rusher Block SheddingStrengthPower MovesFinesse Moves

Plays the long end spots of the odd fronts, from a 4i on the tackle's inside shoulder in tite spacing to a head-up or outside 5-technique in base 3-4 looks. He two-gaps with length and keeps the B-gap closed so runs spill to the edge players. Rush production comes from push and hands rather than speed.

Physical 6'3 to 6'6, 285 to 315. Arm length outranks burst.

DT3Interior DL 5.5%Package Gap Specialist Block SheddingStrength

Covers the guards in bear looks and multiplies in goal line fronts, where DT3 and RDT tokens add extra interior bodies. Every rep is a single block in a phone booth, so he has to win fast with power because there is no space to recover.

Physical 6'2 to 6'5, 300 to 330. Short-area power outranks any testing number.

Safeties Sign 3: 2 starter, 1 rotation Hybrid, Coverage Specialist 3 spots
FS1Safety 98.6%Starter Hybrid Zone CoverageSpeedAwareness

Anchors shells that change by call, single high one snap and split field the next, so range and communication both make the cut.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 190 to 205. Football IQ outranks any measurable.

SS1Safety 98.6%Starter Coverage Specialistalt: Hybrid Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

Swings between box and deep jobs as the front changes. These books keep base personnel on the field nearly half the time, the most of any style, so his run responsibilities are real and weekly. Balanced attributes with a run-support lean fit best.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 200 to 215. Two-way usefulness outranks a single elite trait.

SS2Safety 38.4%Rotation Hybridalt: Box Specialist Man CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationTackle

Applies when the third safety is on the field, which covers nearly a quarter of multiple-book snaps, the biggest SS2 footprint of any style. The job floats with the call, overhang run force one snap and slot coverage the next. Recruit the hybrid on purpose rather than converting a spare body later. 61% of his snaps come from three_high formations, where the deep-third variant applies. In these alignments SS2 plays a true deep third, so the ask shifts from overhang force to top-down coverage: stay over #2 and #3 verticals and arrive late against the run.

Physical 5'11 to 6'2, 195 to 215. Versatility outranks any single trait.

third safety; on the field in 3-3-5 3 High, 3-3-5 3 High Odd, 3-3-5 3 High Over, 3-3-5 3 High Penny, 3-3-5 Mint, 3-3-5 Odd Ghost

Sub LBs Sign 2: 2 rotation Lurker 2 spots
SUBLB1Sub LB 48.0%Rotation Lurker Man CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationHit PowerTackle

66% of snaps ask for the odd_tite SUBLB job, 34% ask for the even_4down SUBLB job. Covers from the middle of light boxes. Dime 3-2 alone supplies over half of these snaps, so he protects the middle hole and carries verticals from #3 with little help around him. Space tackling is the floor requirement. Holds the second level of the sub packages that carry most snaps. The job is coverage first, matching backs and tight ends underneath, with a late rush added when the assignment stays in to block. Sub fronts field both SUBLB tokens together, so this is a sign-two position. Demand splits nearly even between sub and base personnel, so the SUBLB pair has to cover like nickel bodies without a specialist's usage pattern. 14% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Walked into an A-gap before the snap, he either arrives with the rush or bails into coverage after showing it, and the bail is the hard part. Short-area burst plus coverage recovery is the trait pair that survives the assignment.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (66% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Lurker

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

Attributes to scout Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

In even, four-down fronts (34% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Lurker

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

Attributes to scout Man CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationHit Power

No blitz attribute exists on the scouting panel. Blitz maps to Acceleration and Hit Power here.

SUBLB2Sub LB 48.0%Rotation Lurker Man CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationHit PowerTackle

66% of snaps ask for the odd_tite SUBLB job, 34% ask for the even_4down SUBLB job. Covers from the middle of light boxes. Dime 3-2 alone supplies over half of these snaps, so he protects the middle hole and carries verticals from #3 with little help around him. Space tackling is the floor requirement. Holds the second level of the sub packages that carry most snaps. The job is coverage first, matching backs and tight ends underneath, with a late rush added when the assignment stays in to block. Sub fronts field both SUBLB tokens together, so this is a sign-two position. Demand splits nearly even between sub and base personnel, so the SUBLB pair has to cover like nickel bodies without a specialist's usage pattern. 14% of his snaps come from mugged formations. Walked into an A-gap before the snap, he either arrives with the rush or bails into coverage after showing it, and the bail is the hard part. Short-area burst plus coverage recovery is the trait pair that survives the assignment.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

In odd, tite-spaced fronts (66% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Lurker

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

Attributes to scout Man CoverageZone CoverageTackle

In even, four-down fronts (34% of this spot's snaps)

Archetype Lurker

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 220 to 240. Coverage movement outranks bulk.

Attributes to scout Man CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationHit Power

No blitz attribute exists on the scouting panel. Blitz maps to Acceleration and Hit Power here.

Off-ball LBs Sign 3: 1 starter, 2 rotation Signal Caller, Lurker 3 spots
MIKE1Off-ball LB 50.7%Starter Signal Calleralt: Thumper TacklePursuitZone CoveragePlay RecognitionMan Coverage

Runs free behind the trio. The front's job is to keep him unblocked, and his job is to make that matter, flowing tackle to tackle and finishing in the open field. On pass downs he owns the middle hook and carries #3 up the seam when the call asks. They inherit every demand in rotation, run fits one week and hook drops the next, so the Table A linebacker rows deserve extra weight when the book is multiple.

Physical 6'0 to 6'3, 235 to 255. Diagnose-and-go outranks size.

WILL1Off-ball LB 45.2%Rotation Signal Calleralt: Lurker SpeedPursuitTacklePlay RecognitionZone CoverageMan Coverage

Scrapes behind a front built to keep him clean. He presses the line when the trio holds and falls back over the top when it slants, and his tackles come at full speed in pursuit. Flat and hook drops fill the pass downs. They inherit every demand in rotation, run fits one week and hook drops the next, so the Table A linebacker rows deserve extra weight when the book is multiple.

Physical 6'0 to 6'2, 225 to 245. Closing speed outranks size.

SAM1Off-ball LB 26.0%Rotation Lurkeralt: Signal Caller SpeedMan CoverageZone CoverageAccelerationHit PowerTacklePlay Recognition

Plays overhang in the stack fronts. Aligned off the edge in 3-3-5 looks, he splits the difference between box and slot, and he forces runs from width while handling flat coverage or edge blitz duty by call. They inherit every demand in rotation, run fits one week and hook drops the next, so the Table A linebacker rows deserve extra weight when the book is multiple.

Physical 6'1 to 6'3, 225 to 245. Space tackling outranks bulk.

No blitz attribute exists on the scouting panel. Blitz maps to Acceleration and Hit Power here.

Open a row for the full job and the notes behind it. The text is on the page either way, so find-in-page still works.

Below the cutoff

RDT1, 6 snaps (2.74%), ignore tier per schema thresholds.

Prevent 3 Deep: 3 plays could not be mapped to a formation, so they sit outside the counts.

Built from 216 charted plays of 219 in the book. The football is verified against named coaching sources, and the attribute targets are verified against the in-game scouting screens.

Keep reading

See where 3-3-5 Three High ranks for the concepts you actually call in the CFB 27 Playbook Finder.

Coverage chalk talk that matches this style: every match coverage term and how match and man coverage work.