What is a pick-six in college football? Rules, examples and more

There's nothing football fans love more than a pick-six. But what exactly is it? It happens when a defensive player in the opposition team makes an interception and returns it for a touchdown at the other end.

The name comes from the usage of 'pick', which means an interception; and 'six', for the number of points awarded to the opposition team for scoring a touchdown.

Tulane Green Wave star Rayshawn Pleasant registered the nascent 2024 college football season's first pick-six. He did so when he returned a ball by Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Eli Sawyer for a 100-yard touchdown.

It put the Green Wave 21-0 ahead at halftime in their eventual 52-0 rout of SE Louisiana. It was only the second 100-yard interception touchdown in the history of American Conferences.

How Michigan perfected the pick-six intercept

The Michigan Wolverines turned the pick-six into an art form during a 2023 season where they were the dominant team in college football under former coach Jim Harbaugh. Their run culminated in a national championship win.

Will Johnson, Mike Sainristil and Keon Sabb all managed pick-sixes last season and it was all due to the work of Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. He made it a precise science and during an interview with Michigan Daily, he explained what the team did differently.

“A huge, huge emphasis was like after you get an interception — what happens?” Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “And so, our ability to score with the ball, like that is something that you have to practice. You can’t just assume somebody intercepts the ball and all the other guys know what to do.”

The Michigan defensive coordinator revealed that he used the science of punt returns, utilizing the expertise of Jay Harbaugh, the Wolverines' special teams coach. He instilled it into his defensive unit.

In 2022, the Wolverines had only 11 interceptions and one pick six, but that increased to 18 and four respectively in the 2023 season. Minter revealed what the team did differently during their championship-winning season.

“I think just the reaction when you turn on a tape of a team, the reaction of what happens when they get an interception — we were poorly coached at it last year, and that’s just self-reflection,” Minter said. “But now I think we’re better coached at it and it’s showing up in what we do once we get the ball.”

Michigan had a total of 18 interceptions last season, resulting in 419 yards and four pick-sixes.

Six of the interceptions were by cornerback Mike Sainristil, who returned two for touchdowns. He was picked No. 50 overall in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.