Decoding the Redshirt: A Comprehensive Guide to NCAA Baseball Eligibility

The world of NCAA baseball eligibility can be complex, with various rules and regulations governing a student-athlete's participation. Among these rules, the concept of a "redshirt" often raises questions. This article aims to demystify the redshirt rule in NCAA Division I baseball, while also touching upon its relevance in other divisions.

Redshirting Explained: Preserving Eligibility

At its core, a redshirt is a designation granted to a college athlete who sits out a season of competition. This allows the athlete to extend their playing career. A redshirt freshman is a college athlete who sits out of official competition during their first year to preserve one of their four seasons of eligibility. When an athlete redshirts, they use one academic year but do not use one of their four competition seasons. Athletes who redshirt as freshmen begin competing in their second year of college and can extend their playing career into a fifth academic year. In NCAA Division I, athletes have five calendar years to compete in four seasons.

The term “redshirting” likely came from the student-athlete Warren Alfson of the University of Nebraska. In 1937, Alfson asked to practice with the team but not play in any games. Since Nebraska’s team color was red, Warren wore a red shirt without a number.

Strategic Redshirting: A Coach's Decision

A regular redshirt is a strategic decision not to compete during a season. Redshirting is a decision typically made in collaboration with your coach. Two of the main pros of being a redshirt freshman are that student-athletes get a year to build up their athletic skills and focus on college classes. Transitioning from high school to college can be an adjustment, so it might be good for a freshman student-athlete to redshirt to minimize feeling overwhelmed. A major con of being a redshirt freshman is that you won’t get to do everything their team does for a year, like play competitive games or travel.

Medical Redshirts: Overcoming Setbacks

In addition to the standard redshirt, there's also the concept of a medical redshirt. Medical redshirts are the norm, and a player can actually have two medical redshirts granted.

NCAA Division I: A Closer Look

In Division I baseball, the redshirt rule generally stipulates that a player can't participate in more that 30% of scheduled games to qualify, not 20%. So if there is a 55 game schedule (regular season), he can play 11 games or less to qualify.

However, it is extremely rare for a redshirt in college baseball. Speaking in terms of a D1 school first, they are already scrambling to try to determine how they are going to spread out those 11.7 schollys (money) among 27 players. Since scholarships are determined and awarded each year, those monies are targeted for roster players. There aren't any baseball programs that can afford to give a player money and have him sit out a year.

Economic Realities: Scholarships and Roster Management

D1 schools, IF fully funded, are allowed 11.7 schollys total for their teams. First, they must have 27 scholarship players with a minimum percentage (I believe it is still at 25%) of an athletic scholarship They have to be master jugglers to determine who is coming back, how many to recruit based on how much money they will have. College baseball coaches are forced to be very creative with their limited funds and D1 schools are placed on a stricter budget about how scholarships are awarded.

Division II and Beyond: Different Landscapes

Most of the D2 programs are not fully funded. In fact, you will discover many to have 5 schollys or less, and there is one in our state that only has one (1). Some of the D2 programs must also field a JV squad, so you are looking at 50 players in the program, but very few are actually on athletic scholarships. Many players participating at the D2 level are non scholarship athletes, so if one becomes "redshirted", it really doesn't affect the program financially. But it does allow the player an extra year for growth. The poster asked about D1, so that's what I responded to, but the circumstances can be different in D2. D2's do not face that same restriction.

NAIA schools allow athletes to compete in four seasons within 10 semesters. Junior college athletes typically have two seasons of competition over two years. However, every athlete’s situation is unique. A student-athlete can be a redshirt for one year.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Redshirting: Dispelling Misconceptions

I'm not going to say that coach was lying to you, but I have never met a college coach that spends all summer, fall and spring recruiting with the mindset of redshirting most of the kids he is recruiting. And I don't know many freshman that would allow to be recruited to a school planning to redshirt him. In this day in age, when many freshman recruited expect to be starters, I can't imagine one would be interested in going to his recruited school to be redshirted. An invited walk on? Perhaps…but a recruited player?

The Evolving Landscape of College Baseball

We have all been amazed over the years about the earlier commitments…some when they were sophomores in HS. Now from a family perspective I understand this…it makes perfect sense. However, it has caused a new problem for a college coach. What if that player hasn't improved as projected? What if that early committed player decides to quit working hard because he feels , "I'm committed…I got mine!"…and after his soph year he never looks better. Guess what happens to this player when he reaches college fall practice? He gets cut!…..and if on scholarship he can take a redshirt or may still be on roster with very limited PT. But he won't be back on the team the following year.

Preferred Walk-On: An Alternative Path

Understanding what was said about the money spent on the scholly I think that having a kid sit out his first year is going to be more productive than sitting out later years(manditory if he changes schools), and with all the changes from HS to College that first year would be the time to use for that adjustment. So instead of getting a scholarship package with money I am looking for the Perfered Walk -On route with nothing more than getting into the school and spending the season working out with the team, under the coaches eye and then getting a real feel for PT the following year. Not your typical approach I know, but one that will not waste a year of eliabilty sitting on the bench watching others play. You are right. This is an option especially if one is wanting to mature physically. Another great route is with a JUCO program.

Redshirt Considerations: A Summary

A regular redshirt is a strategic decision not to compete during a season.
A medical redshirt is used when a player is injured.
In NCAA Division I, athletes have five calendar years to compete in four seasons.
In Division I baseball, the redshirt rule generally stipulates that a player can't participate in more that 30% of scheduled games to qualify.
D1 schools are allowed 11.7 schollys total for their teams.
D2's do not face that same restriction.
NAIA schools allow athletes to compete in four seasons within 10 semesters.
Junior college athletes typically have two seasons of competition over two years.

tags: #ncaa #baseball #redshirt #rules #explained