This week, we received a great question on Twitter: "You guys talk about height and weight a lot. But just curious, why are college quarterbacks supposed to be at least 6'1"?"

This is a question that often comes up when discussing the physical attributes of successful quarterbacks, especially in college football. So let's break it down.

The Role of Height in a QB's Success

Height is more than just a number on a roster. For quarterbacks, height plays a critical role in their ability to see the field, make quick decisions, and execute plays. The average height of D1 offensive linemen is usually between 6'3" and 6'5". When a quarterback is too short, their line of sight is directly impacted -- they struggle to see over the linemen, which can limit their ability to spot open receivers or anticipate defensive movements. However, there is a caveat.

The Caveat: The diminishing role of height with regard to throwing

In today's game, the impact of a quarterback's height is diminishing when it comes to throwing over linemen. Modern QBs have become increasingly adept at adjusting their arm angles, allowing them to find passing lanes with ease regardless of height. This ability to change the trajectory and angle of their throws makes it less critical to be able to throw directly over linemen.

Why it still does matter though

When we talk about a quarterback needing to see over their linemen, imagine the QB's eyes as a line that extends out from their face, going over the heads of the linemen in front of them. For the quarterback to see over the linemen, that line needs to be angled slightly upwards -- just enough to clear the top of the linemen's heads and let the QB see what's happening on the field.

This upward tilt of the line is what we call the angle of sight. The angle of sight can be really small, like 2 degrees or less, but it makes a big difference in how far back the quarterback has to stand to see over the linemen.

What does this look like in practice? It is no coincidence that at 1.5 degrees a 6'1" QB at EXACTLY shotgun depth can see over the average lineman but a 6'0" QB cannot.

Is this a hard and fast rule? Absolutely not. But its not arbitrary either.