In addition to the traditional body composition measurements, determining muscle characteristics may also be advantageous. Muscle quality and size have been determined to be related to muscle strength, power, and functional capacity (8,12). Increased intramuscular fat has also been shown to be associated with insulin insensitivity and the development of metabolic syndrome. In recent literature, ultraquality in these athletes. Previous research has determined differences in body composition and muscle characteristics across football position (19), year (14), athletic success (23), and race (13). To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined the combination of body composition and US measures in an American football team. Evaluating the relationship between muscle characteristics and body composition in highly trained individuals is limited in existing current literature. This relationship may warrant further investigation as it has the potential to identify, predict, and track health and exercise performance. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine muscle characteristics of the vastus lateralis (VL) and body composition of NCAA Division I football players. Differences in muscle characteristics and body composition between player position, race, year, and starter status were also evaluated.