Recruiting guide
What forty time do you need for D3 football
Benchmarks verified September 15, 2026. Every number names its source. Free, no account, nothing gated.
Two published sources answer this, and they don't fully agree. Both are below.
| Position | Go Big Recruiting | Lance O's |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver | 4.70 | 4.60–4.90 |
| Running back | 4.70 | 4.60–4.90 |
| Defensive back | 4.70 | 4.60–4.90 |
| Linebacker | 4.75 | 4.70–5.00 |
Go Big Recruiting's tier is "low D2/NAIA/all D3". Lance O's Recruiting Network publishes D3/NAIA ranges and labels its own page as older standards. Where they disagree, we say so rather than average them.
Reading the numbers
Skill positions (receiver, running back, defensive back): the published boards meet at 4.70, with Lance O's opening the range a tenth faster at the top. If your verified forty is 4.60 or better, you're past every published D3 bar and the D2 question is live.
Linebacker: 4.75 on Go Big's board, up to 5.00 on Lance O's. A 4.90 inside linebacker with two years of production is inside Lance O's range and a tenth off Go Big's.
Two things a forty on paper never carries: how it was timed (hand-timed at practice versus laser at a camp) and the film next to it. A coach reads the forty and the film together; a 4.75 with All-Conference tape outranks a 4.60 with none.
The honors bar alongside the time
NCSA's guidelines put D3 at a one-year varsity starter at minimum, two preferred. The forty gets the film opened; the varsity and All-Conference record is what gets the reply.