Are football players faster than track and field athletes? It’s a question that’s been in the spotlight recently, with the likes of Tyreek Hill (NFL’s Miami Dolphins) challenging Usain Bolt (arguably the greatest Olympian sprinter ever) and more. However, before we get to the all-time greats, we should figure out if NFL players can even beat the best sprinters in the NCAA.

I compiled data from the NFL and the top collegiate sprinters to finally get an answer to the oft-asked question. Here’s what the numbers say.

Fastest 2022 regular season NFL speeds

Every year, the NFL uses Next Gen Stats to track the fastest players each game. Below you’ll find the fastest players that carried the ball from the 2022 regular season.

RANK SPEED (MPH) PLAYER POSITION TEAM NFL WEEK 1 22.11 Parris Campbell WR Indianapolis Colts 18 2 22.09 Kenneth Walker RB Seattle Seahawks 7 3 21.87 Breece Hall RB New York Jets 7 4 21.72 DeSean Jackson WR Baltimore Ravens 12 5 21.72 Christian Watson WR Green Bay Packers 13 6 21.68 Jaylen Waddle WR Miami Dolphins 16 7 21.68 Dalvin Cook RB Minnesota Vikings 10 8 21.62 Travis Etienne RB Jacksonville Jaguars 17 9 21.6 Devin Duvernay WR Baltimore Ravens 2 10 21.58 Tariq Woolen DB Seattle Seahawks 4

In total, 36 NFL players ran faster than 21 mph during the 2022 regular season, but only Parris Campbell and Kenneth Walker surpassed the 22 mph threshold. Campbell’s 22.11 mph speed ranks as the fifth-fastest top speed by a ball-carrier during an NFL season since 2016.

👀: Here are the DI track and field teams with most NCAA championships

RANK SPEED (MPH) PLAYER Year TEAM 1 23.34 Tyreek Hill 2016 Kansas City Chiefs 2 23.09 Raheem Mostert 2020 San Francisco 49ers 3 22.3 Matt Breida 2019 San Francisco 49ers 4 22.13 Jonathan Taylor 2021 Indianapolis Colts 5 22.11 Parris Campbell 2022 Indianapolis Colts 6 22.09 Matt Brieda 2018 San Francisco 49ers 7 22.05 Leonard Fournette 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars

So, how do these speeds relate to the top track and field athletes? Let’s find out.

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Fastest NCAA track athletes in 2023

While mph data for NCAA track and field races isn’t always readily available, there’s luckily data from NCAA sprinters who participated in the 2022 World Athletics Championships. We’ll be using that data for this article.

Top male sprinters

The 100 meters is the premier male sprinting event, with track athletes running the shortest distance during an outdoor meet. To compare the 100 meters to football, it equates to just over 109 yards, roughly the front of one end zone to the back of another end zone.

It’s rare that a football player will ever run 100 meters in a straight line continuously in a game like a sprinter would in a race, but a football player still needs to hit his peak speeds to escape from opposing players in the same way a sprinter needs to hit his peak speeds to win a race.

That said, here are the fastest 100 meter sprinters that returned to collegiate track and field in 2023.

SPEED (MPH) PLAYER School Time (Round) 26.2 Favour Ashe Auburn 10.00 (Heats) 25.6 Ismael Kone Florida State 10.17 (Heats) 24.3 Shaun Gill Texas A&M-Kingsville (DII) 10.76 (Prelims)

All three of the collegiate 100 meter sprinters ran faster than all NFL players since 2016. Yet, none of the collegiate sprinters above made the 100 meter final at World Championships, meaning there were even faster sprinters in track and field in 2022.

NCAA T&F: Here’s how the outdoor track and field championships work

What about the equipment?

A common cry in debates between football and track speed is that football players where equipment that can slow them down. Per Sports Illustrated, football equipment like shoulder pads, helmets and more can weigh more than 10 pounds. While there’s no hard data on how much football equipment slows down a player, one can assume that it likely knocks off tenths of a second from top speeds.

40-yard dash

That said, we have seen football players run their top speeds in non-game like settings via the NFL Combine’s 40-yard dash. Take a look a some of the speeds from 2022’s NFL Combine.

Speed (MPH) 40 Time Athlete School Position 25.1 4.23 Kalon Barnes Baylor CB 24.8 4.26 Tariq Woolen UTSA CB 24.6 4.31 Velus Jones Tennessee WR 24.5 4.34 Bo Melton Rutgers WR 24.1 4.33 Danny Gray SMU WR

Speeds taken from Reel Analytics.

Kalon Barnes ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL history, only one-hundreth of a second behind the NFL record of 4.22 seconds. Tariq Woolen ran the fifth-fastest time in NFL history.

However, none of the top-speeds from the 2022 NFL Combine ran without football equipment surpass the top two recorded speeds from the NCAA athletes listed above at World Championships.

While the 40-yard dash is a decent indicator of speed, it’s not the end all be all as shown by analytics experts. There’s no correlation between 40-yard dash speed and in-game speed, with players with slow 40 times running just as fast — with equipment on — as players with fast 40 times.

Data suggests no correlation between the 40-yard dash & play speed (MPH) for many reasons. For example, both Jordan Howard & Ted Ginn have reached a max speed of 22 mph although Howard ran a 4.59 & Ginn a 4.28 40-yard dash. Don’t over-emphasize the 40. #NFLCombine2022 pic.twitter.com/BeciA7lw76 — Cory Yates (@CoryRAanalytics) March 4, 2022

Moreover, the NFL record of 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash pales in comparison to what track athletes have ran in the 40-yard dash. Take former NCAA Champion Christian Coleman for example. He ran a 4.12 second 40-yard dash back in 2017, blowing the NFL Combine record out of the water. Coleman even beat NFL legend Bo Jackson’s rumored 4.13 second 40-yard dash time.

In 2024, Iowa sprinter Kalen Walker took running the 40-yard dash as a track athlete to the next level, running the dash at halftime of the Hawkeye’s game against Northwestern. Walker didn’t match Coleman’s time, but still finished 4.15 seconds, with the wind of an outdoor environment.

Coleman and Walker’s 40-yard dash performances shows that even in similar conditions, without equipment, track speed is faster.

The DK Metcalf race

While Christian Coleman tested out NFL conditions with his run in the 40-yard dash, NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf did the opposite, running a 100 meter race on the track.

Metcalf ran the 100 meters at the Golden Games in an attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials. In his first 100 meter race with only a few months of training, Metcalf ran a 10.37-second time to finish 15th out of 17 competitors in the preliminary round.

Great start for @Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.

He ended up finishing his 100m heat in 9th with a time of 10.36.@usatf // #JourneyToGold pic.twitter.com/OSPrrMZFVe — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) May 9, 2021

Metcalf’s speed paled in comparison to track and field sprinters in a race that didn’t include some of the America’s best 100 meter runners. Yet, when it comes to the NFL, Metcalf is one of the fastest in the league with a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash and a top speed of 22.64 mph 2020.

DK Metcalf would’ve caught Daniel Jones

DK Metcalf’s speed 22.64 mph matches Tyreek Hill last year 💨

pic.twitter.com/GumVZMhBHR — John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 26, 2020

Metcalf’s top speed in the NFL is one of the fastest since the NFL has tracked the data. However, when Metcalf transferred his football speed to the track — without equipment — his speed didn’t keep up

The dual-sport athletes

NFL x track speed

For all the comparisons between NFL and track speed, there’s one person who blurred the lines in 2022, Devon Allen. Allen, an NCAA champion and Olympian, was a finalist in the 110 hurdles at the 2022 World Championships and also is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles roster, even scoring a touchdown during the preseason.

Reid Sinnett & Devon Allen (55-yd TD)

Completion Probability: 28.8%

🔹 Air Distance: 59.6 yds

🔹 Target Separation: 4.9 yds

🔹 Allen Top Speed: 20.93 mph

Sinnett’s pass traveled 59.6 yards in the air, the longest completed pass so far this preseason.#PHIvsCLE | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/gj4Dfj64u0 — Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) August 21, 2022

Devon Allen hit a top speed of 20.93 mph on his 55-yard touchdown in the preseason. While Allen’s top speed ranks below some of the top speeds in the NFL this year and the top collegians in track and field at the World Championships, Allen is an Olympian hurdler, running the third-fastest 110 hurdles time ever (12.84 seconds) at Worlds. With out football pads and routes and without hurdles, Allen’s top speed is likely much higher.

💨: Wind and scoring in track and field, explained

NCAA football x track speed

Texas A&M’s Devon Achane is a soon-to-be NFL player with legit track speed. How do we know this about the 2023 NFL draft prospect? Because he actually ran track in college.

Achane qualified for the 2022 DI outdoor championships in sprint events. Achane finished in the semifinals during the outdoor championships with a 10.48-second 100 meter time. On the gridiron, Achane was clocked at 22.2 mph in 2021 on a kick return for a touchdown.

.@AggieFootball RB Devon Achane hit a max speed of 22.2 mph on his 96-yard KOR for a TD in the #Aggies’ win over #Bama on Saturday. #myRAmaxspeed pic.twitter.com/sHVqs3wtCq — Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) October 11, 2021

Achane’s speed on that kick return is faster than any NFL player’s top speed during the 2022 regular season. He’s one of the select few players than when someone says “he has track speed” legitimately does.

Elsewhere, Kentucky has a football-track standout of its own — and he’s only a freshman. Jordan Anthony plays wide receiver for the Wildcats and runs sprints. Prior to enrolling, he won the U.S. U-20 200 meter title with a personal-best 20.34-second finish.

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Anthony kicked off his 2023 indoor season with less than a week of track practice between the transition of football and track season by breaking the Kentucky freshman record in the 60 meters in 6.57 seconds. That performance comes after Anthony redshirted on the gridiron, playing in just two games.

Anthony is another dual-sport athlete with true “track speed”.

📸 @Jordan_anthony6 wins the Rod McCravey Memorial with a #UKTF Freshman Record time of 6.57. Fellow Wildcat @lang_jackson9 finished in 3rd, stopping the clock at 6.77.

📺: https://t.co/40G9geRPKD pic.twitter.com/zgs82nWHIt — UK Track & Field (@KentuckyTrack) January 14, 2023

In July 2024, track speed again made the news thanks to South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor. Harbor drew recognition around the country for his 99 speed and 99 acceleration rating in EA College Football 25.

Meet Nyck Harbor, the Most OP Player in EA CFB 25

At 6’5 242:

-99 Speed

-99 Acceleration

-98 Jumping

-79 Strength (strongest WR in the game)

Runs a 10.11 100M & 20.20 200M 🤯

Cheat Codehttps://t.co/nUKSivocbE pic.twitter.com/4TXDTf7ay2 — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 14, 2024

Harbor’s speed caught many by surprise, but not track and field fans. Harbor finished 16th in the 100 meters and 10th in the 200 meters in the 2024 Division I track and field championships.

Just absolutely GLIDING! @Nyck1k with a new wind-legal PR time of 20.47 and he will represent the Gamecocks in the 200m finals on Saturday 🤙 pic.twitter.com/FWm1m8az70 — Gamecock Track & XC (@GamecockTrack) May 9, 2024

MORE: Complete history of The Bowerman award

So who’s faster?

From the data, it’s clear than the top-end speed of NCAA track and field athletes is faster than the top-end speed of NFL players. While there are other external factors like distance run, equipment weight, directions run and more, the top-end speed data is plain to see.

Could things change if the fastest NFL players raced track and field’s best? Maybe, but until that happens the win goes to the trackletes.

Mary Jackson was a mathematician and aerospace engineer. In 1951 she joined the West Computers unit—made up of African American female mathematicians—at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The women provided data that were later essential to the early success of the U.S. space program. In 1958 Jackson became the first Black female engineer at NASA. In 1979 she left engineering and took a demotion to become manager of the women’s program at NASA. In that post, she sought to improve the opportunities for all women at the organization. She retired in 1985.

In 1958 Mary Jackson became the first African American female engineer to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She became widely known through Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures and its film adaptation, both of which were released in 2016.

Mary Jackson (born April 9, 1921, Hampton, Virginia, U.S.—died February 11, 2005, Hampton) was an American mathematician and aerospace engineer who in 1958 became the first African American female engineer to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

She was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia. After graduating from high school with highest honours, she earned a dual degree in mathematics and physical science at the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1942. She worked as a math teacher in Maryland for a year before returning to Hampton. She later married Levi Jackson.

In 1951 she started working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), where she was a member of its West Area Computing unit—the West Computers, comprising African American female mathematicians—and Jackson’s supervisor was Dorothy Vaughan. The women provided data that were later essential to the early success of the U.S. space program. At the time, NACA was segregated, with Black employees required to use separate bathrooms and dining facilities.

Britannica Quiz Numbers and Mathematics

In 1953 Jackson left the West Computers to work for engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki, conducting experiments in a high-speed wind tunnel. He suggested that Jackson enter a training program that would allow her to become an engineer. Since Virginia’s schools were still segregated, she had to obtain special permission to take classes with white students. Jackson ultimately completed the necessary courses, and in 1958 she became the first Black female engineer at NASA, which had been established earlier that year; NACA had been incorporated into it.

Jackson worked as an aerospace engineer for some 20 years. Much of her work centred on the airflow around aircraft. Despite early promotions, she was denied management-level positions, and in 1979 she left engineering and took a demotion to become manager of the women’s program at NASA. In that post, she sought to improve the opportunities for all women at the organization. She retired in 1985.

Jackson’s contributions to the space program received greater recognition after her death in 2005. She and other West Computers—including Vaughan and Katherine Johnson—were the inspiration for Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, which was made into an acclaimed film; both were released in 2016.

Another unauthorised Traveller pitch has been reported at a recreation ground.

Caravans were spotted this morning (April 15) on the green behind the playground at Jackson’s play area in Rochester.

Caravans have been spotted on the green behind the playground at Jackson’s Park in Rochester

A number of vehicles are lining the field, which is popular with dog walkers and children.

A Medway Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the group and are following a civil legal process to move them on.”

Last Thursday (April 10), another group set up a suspected unauthorised encampment on the green at Beechings Way Playing Fields in Twydall.

Pictures shared online showed the vehicles spread out across the field behind the children’s play park.

The group was seen leaving that site yesterday (April 14).

Caravans have been spotted on the green behind the playground at Jackson’s Park in Rochester

On the same day the group appeared in Twydall, the council installed a gate and concrete blocks at Luton Recreation Ground in Chatham to prevent any unauthorised access.

The concrete blocks have been lined around the perimeter of the field to act as a deterrent against any anti-social behaviour.

Read more: The powers authorities have to stop unauthorised traveller encampments in Kent

Read more: Travellers, the Romany and Roma in Kent: Who are they, their history, and modern social exclusion

It has previously been subjected to unauthorised Traveller encampments with caravans pitching up on the land last summer without express permission to do so.

Jackson Cantwell couldn’t lie; he’s been thinking about playing on Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Missouri for a while.

Rivals.com’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class has deep Columbia ties, dating to when his Olympian parents attended the school. As he’s grown into a 6-foot-8, 300-pound offensive tackle, he’s been a high-priority target for Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who helicoptered into one of Cantwell’s games early in the 2024 season.

Cantwell will get his first opportunity to play in Columbia during Friday’s 7 p.m. Class 6 state championship game, when his Nixa Eagles face off with De Smet Jesuit.

It may also be the first of a few or many times he steps on the field as he considers his college destination.

“Getting to play at the place I could potentially play at in the future or even play at if I were to play against (Missouri) in the future would be pretty cool,” Cantwell said. “It’d be really cool to kind of get that experience playing on a field like that in front of that environment. I’m excited and I think it’ll be a fun time.”

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Cantwell cut his list of schools to 14 before the season and said he’d like to narrow it down further within the next few months. The list, in no particular order, includes LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, Nebraska, Mizzou, Miami (Florida), Alabama, Texas A&M, USC, Georgia, Oregon, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

During Nixa’s 13-0 run this season, Cantwell made official visits to Nebraska, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama and Miami (Florida). Nebraska coach Matt Rhule attended Nixa’s district semifinal win over Ozark on Nov. 8.

“I’ve got 10- or 11-ish schools that I’m still talking to a decent amount,” Cantwell said. “I’m kind of trying to work my way down from there in the coming months. For now, I’m mainly focused on going to win this state championship. It’s been a dream of ours for a while as a team. (My recruitment) is something I’m also trying to figure out on the side right now.”

Cantwell did his part in Saturday’s semifinal win over Kirkwood by recording 22 pancake blocks; he has 153 this year.

Cantwell has a tough challenge ahead of him against De Smet team that is littered with Division I talent. The Spartans feature multiple FBS recruits, including 2026 four-star edge rusher Titan Davis, who is ranked as the 247Sports Composite’s No. 107 overall player.

Davis and Eastern Michigan commit Quincy Byas have combined for 28 sacks this season.

“De Smet has a lot of long, athletic guys that play very physical and are good with their hands,” Cantwell said. “We’re going to have to be very solid up front. We’re going to have to execute and communicate really well. They line up in defenses we’ve seen before. We’re just going to have to do what we do and that’s the key to the game.”

The Oakland Coliseum came alive with baseball over the weekend. A month after fans said a teary goodbye to their beloved A’s, some of the team’s legendary players hit the field one more time, giving thousands of fans something to cheer about and enjoy.

On Sunday, baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson partnered with Change The Game Sports, a Los Angeles based entertainment firm, to do something special for Oakland A’s fans — a softball game to coincide with the fall classic. In April, the A’s announced their move to Las Vegas for the 2028 MLB season, with plans to play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento from 2025 to 2027, when their new ballpark should be ready. Jackson wanted to recapture the A’s spirit one more time, as a gift to the fans.

“We’re just hoping to bring people out and have a good time,” Jackson said. “So people get together and have a good moment and relive some of their memories.”

The event featured a game between the gold team, led by former A’s pitcher Dennis Eckersley, and the green team, led by Dave Stewart, who pitched for the World Series champion 1989 A’s. Both team jerseys, sporting the A’s colors, had the name “Jackson” on the back, along with his number, 9.

The green and gold softball teams (All photos by Marquis Chambers)

Former Major League players such Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, CoCo Crisp, Tony La Russa, Billy North and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson were there, as well as former NBA star Matt Barnes, who grew up in the Bay Area, and former football standout Terrell Owens.

Oakland celebrities and entertainers such as Mistah F.A.B, Lewis Belt, Too Short and others either participated in the game or just came to watch it.

Canseco, who was a World Series champion with the Oakland A’s in 1989, won the home-run derby that took place before the game.

The green team won the game 18 to 15 and Crisp was honored with the MVP trophy.

“We started this to preserve legacies,” said Briann Amlani, founder and CEO of Change the Game. “We wanted to celebrate the icons who didn’t look like the typical icon. Growing up, guys who looked like me, talked like me and had certain swag or who I wanted to steal their swag … I never saw those guys really get their flowers.”

Jackson, known as “Mr.October” for his clutch hitting during the MLB playoffs and World Series, won three World Series with the Oakland A’s during his 10-year run with the team.

He is beloved in Oakland for his wins, his ability to hit homeruns and the way he entertained fans.

Reggie Jackson was a clutch player, said Joshua Anderson, a fan who was there to watch the game said. “To me, Reggie Jackson is all about what you love about sports.”

Mistah F.A.B, a rapper and community organizer who was born and raised in Oakland, said sharing the field with Oakland legends was a dream come true

Even Amlani, who grew up in Los Angeles as a Dodgers fan, considers Jackson one of his favorite athletes.

“Growing up, Reggie was like a superhero to me because he was an icon,” Amlani said. “Then getting to know him and then being able to do this event for him. You go, ‘Man, he’s an icon.’ But one of the most honest, sweetest gentlemen on earth. So I’m a fan, I’m a friend, and I’m just glad we were able to do this for him.”