What is a good 40-yard dash time? Here is the ladder.
College benchmarks for the 40, rung by rung. Find the rung your time sits on. Then see the 0-100 score that goes with it, free, no account.
Score my 40 timeThe form asks for numbers you already have. No email is needed to see your score.
D1 40-yard dash rungs by position
These are AQ's own D1 rungs for the 40 by position, the bar the engine scores against. Hand times run fast - about 0.22 seconds for experienced timers in a 2015 study (Mann et al.; see what college players actually run) - so compare like with like.
| Position | D1 elite | D1 | D1 floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 4.65 | 4.80 | 4.90 |
| Running Back | 4.49 | 4.56 | 4.62 |
| Wide Receiver | 4.45 | 4.52 | 4.60 |
| Tight End | 4.65 | 4.75 | 4.85 |
| Offensive Lineman | 5.00 | 5.15 | 5.25 |
| Defensive Lineman | 4.80 | 4.92 | 5.02 |
| Linebacker | 4.60 | 4.68 | 4.75 |
| Cornerback | 4.45 | 4.52 | 4.58 |
| Safety | 4.50 | 4.57 | 4.63 |
Speed is a threshold, not a ranking - once you clear the bar, film and production drive offers.
How the levels compare: high school to D1
Here is how the rungs step up from high school varsity to D1 at five key positions.
| Position | HS varsity | D3 | D2 | D1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide Receiver | 4.80 | 4.70 | 4.63 | 4.52 |
| Cornerback | 4.78 | 4.70 | 4.62 | 4.52 |
| Running Back | 4.85 | 4.74 | 4.66 | 4.56 |
| Linebacker | 5.00 | 4.90 | 4.80 | 4.68 |
| Offensive Lineman | 5.50 | 5.40 | 5.30 | 5.15 |
The AQ rungs are Athlete Quotient's own benchmarks - the bar the engine scores against - not a measured average of a college population, because no public position-by-position D1 testing distribution exists.
Your time is on this ladder. Type it once and the scorer places it, 0-100, against our own D1 benchmarks for your position.
Score my 40 timeSpeed gets you looked at - it does not get you signed
A great 40 opens the door. What keeps you in the room is the rest of the picture: your game film, your production, and the things a stopwatch never measures. College programs are evaluating far more than one number, including:
- Position-specific skill - route running, change of direction, hands, pad level, ball skills.
- Power and explosiveness - vertical jump, broad jump, and strength that show up on contact.
- Academics - GPA and test scores that keep you eligible and widen your options.
- Leadership and character - what coaches hear when they call your coach.
- Recruiting readiness - whether your film, timeline, and exposure are actually reaching the right people.
That is exactly the gap Athlete Quotient was built to close - turning "I think I'm fast enough" into a clear, honest number you can act on.
What is the AQ Score?
Athlete Quotient is the credit score of athletics: one objective number from 0 to 100 that measures any youth or high school athlete against our own Division I benchmarks - for their specific sport and position - across five dimensions (athletic, academic, leadership, community, and recruiting readiness). It is not stars, and it is not a scout's opinion. It is the truth about where you stand and exactly what to work on next.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good 40-yard dash time for a wide receiver?
On AQ's ladder the D1 40 rung for a wide receiver is 4.52 seconds, and D1 elite is 4.45.
Is a 4.5 40-yard dash good?
Yes. For a wide receiver a 4.5 lands on the D1 rung of AQ's ladder, and for a running back on the D1 rung. Find your position in the table above.
What 40 time do offensive linemen need for D1?
On AQ's ladder the D1 40 rung for an offensive lineman is 5.15 seconds and D1 elite is 5.00. For linemen, size, strength, and film matter far more than raw 40 time.
Do college coaches use hand timing or electronic timing?
Coaches trust verified electronic or laser times. In a 2015 study, hand times from experienced timers ran about 0.22 seconds fast (Mann et al.), so a legitimate camp or combine number carries much more weight.
Place your 40 time on this ladder
A table tells you the bar. Your AQ Score tells you where you stand against it - all five dimensions, your gaps, and the level you actually fit, scored against our own D1 benchmarks for your position. Your first score is free.
Score my 40 timeNo account needed. Your free score finds the gaps. The Playbook turns every gap into a weekly training plan, with fueling guidance included - built from your own measured numbers.
Not sure it is worth it? See a full sample report first.
More recruiting benchmarks
- Baseball: exit velocity and pitching velocity
- Basketball: height, wingspan and vertical
- See all benchmarks
These are Athlete Quotient's own benchmarks. Where a published college figure exists we use it; where none exists, the rung is ours. We would rather say that than claim a source we do not have. Always confirm your time with verified electronic timing. Athlete Quotient uses its own proprietary scoring methodology to produce your AQ Score.