Packaging Your Offense: Aligning Formations, Plays, and Personnel
One of the biggest challenges—and advantages—of modern offense is how we package personnel, formations, and plays. At the high school level, we don’t always have perfect roster balance, so the offenses that thrive are the ones that intentionally build packages around who their kids are, not just what’s drawn on the whiteboard.
This week’s #TXHSFBCHAT focused on how coaches think through those packages. Below are reflections and takeaways from each question, along with ideas you can apply to your own offense.
1. What formations and plays do you package with your 11 personnel?
For many programs, 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) is the foundation. It’s versatile, defense-neutral, and allows you to live in both spread and “attached” worlds.
Common 11 personnel packages include:
Formations: 2x2, 3x1, Y-off, Y-wing, trips with an attached TE
Run game: Inside zone, split zone, GT counter, power read
Pass game: Stick, Y-cross, spacing, play-action shots
The strength of 11 personnel is that it lets you:
Stay multiple without substituting
Force defenses to declare structure
Build tags and complements off a small menu of core concepts
Many coaches noted that once 11 personnel is installed, it becomes the hub package everything else spins off of.
2. What formations and plays do you package with your 10 personnel?
10 personnel (1 RB, 4 WR) is often about space, tempo, and matchups.
Typical 10 personnel packages include:
Formations: 2x2, 3x1, empty, bunch
Run game: Inside zone, draw, QB run, RPOs
Pass game: Quick game, choice routes, screens, verticals
Coaches emphasized that 10 personnel works best when:
You have multiple receivers who can win in space
You want to stress coverage rules and leverage
You want to simplify defensive fits against the run
Rather than carrying dozens of plays, many offenses use 10 personnel to highlight a few answers, executed fast and confidently.
3. What formations and plays do you package with your 21 personnel?
21 personnel (2 RB, 1 TE) is where physicality and deception show up.
Common 21 packages include:
Formations: I, offset I, split backs, pistol
Run game: Power, iso, counter, toss
Pass game: Boot, play-action, leak, shot plays
Several coaches shared that 21 personnel isn’t about volume—it’s about intent:
Short yardage and goal line
Changing the defensive front
Forcing linebackers to play downhill
Even spread-based teams find value in carrying a small, intentional 21 package to control critical moments in a game.
4. Which formations and plays are easiest to use with multiple personnel packages?
One consistent theme: formations that don’t care who lines up where.
Examples include:
2x2 and 3x1 spread sets
Pistol and shotgun looks
Balanced formations with flexible skill alignment
When a formation can:
Accept a WR, TE, or RB at the same spot
Keep the same run and pass menu
Maintain the same teaching language
…it becomes a powerful tool. Coaches repeatedly mentioned that simplicity in structure allows creativity in personnel.
5. Do you have formations and plays that are only used with a specific personnel package?
Most coaches answered yes—and intentionally so.
Examples:
Heavy formations only with 21 or 22 personnel
Empty packages tied strictly to 10 personnel
Specialty plays built around a unique athlete
These packages serve a purpose:
Highlight a specific player’s skill set
Give the defense something they must prepare for
Create confidence for kids who know, “This is our package”
The key takeaway: specialty packages work best when they are clear, limited, and well-repped.
6. How do your personnel and play packages impact your installation schedule?
Installation was a major point of discussion.
Successful approaches included:
Installing by concept, not formation
Teaching a core package early (often 11 personnel)
Layering personnel changes once players understand structure
Several coaches mentioned that personnel packages:
Drive what gets installed first
Influence how much you can realistically carry
Help assistants know what they’re responsible for teaching
Good packaging simplifies installation by letting players learn rules once and apply them everywhere.
7. What was your most successful package this year, and why did it work?
The most successful packages shared one thing in common: they matched the kids.
Reasons those packages worked:
Best athletes were featured
Players understood their role clearly
The package was repped consistently
It had built-in answers and complements
Success wasn’t about being exotic—it was about being intentional and aligned.
Final Thoughts
Offensive packages are more than formations on a call sheet. They’re a reflection of:
Your personnel
Your teaching progression
Your philosophy as a staff
When formations, plays, and people are aligned, offenses play faster, cleaner, and with more confidence.
As you reflect and plan ahead, ask yourself:
Do our packages highlight our best kids?
Are we carrying answers—or just volume?
Can our players explain why a package exists?
That clarity is what turns a playbook into an offense.