Redshirting in NCAA Athletics: Definition, Benefits, and Considerations

The world of college athletics can be intricate, with its own unique terminology and regulations. One such term is "redshirting," a practice that can significantly impact a student-athlete's collegiate career. This article delves into the definition of redshirting in the NCAA, exploring its origins, purposes, advantages, disadvantages, and related concepts.

What is Redshirting?

In United States college athletics, "redshirt" refers to the delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in competitions to extend their period of eligibility. Typically, a student-athlete has four seasons of eligibility, aligning with the four years generally needed to earn a bachelor's degree. However, redshirting allows an athlete to potentially spread those four seasons over five academic years, becoming a "fifth-year senior."

Origins of the Term

The term "redshirting" is believed to have originated from Warren Alfson of the University of Nebraska in 1937. Alfson requested to train with the team but not play in any games and wore a plain red shirt, matching Nebraska’s team color, without a number. Since then, student-athletes who sit out of competitive gameplay for a year have been dubbed "redshirts" by players and coaches.

NCAA Definition

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) doesn’t officially employ the term “redshirt.” However, players and coaches occasionally use this term within Division 1 (D1) and Division 2 (D2) sports.

Redshirt Freshman Explained

A “redshirt freshman” refers to a college student-athlete who abstains from competitive play during their freshman year and commences their initial athletic season in their sophomore year. This implies that a redshirt freshman is an athletic “freshman” but an academic sophomore.

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Purpose of Redshirting

There are several reasons why a freshman might opt for redshirting:

Easing the transition from high school to college.
Enhancing athletic skills before competitive gameplay.
Recovering from a pre-season injury.

Easing the Transition from High School to College

Becoming a redshirt freshman allows student-athletes to smoothly transition from high school to college life without immediate competitive pressures. This period allows them to concentrate on acclimatizing to college academics while familiarizing themselves with their respective sports and teams from the sidelines.

Enhancing Athletic Skills

Coaches also benefit from redshirting freshman players. It grants these athletes additional time to grow and refine their athletic abilities before facing top-tier competition. Additionally, coaches might opt for redshirting to extend a freshman athlete’s eligibility for college sports.

Recovering from Injury

Redshirting as a freshman proves beneficial for student-athletes who sustain injuries before their inaugural competitive season. It grants them two semesters to recuperate from their injury while retaining eligibility to compete in college sports for four years.

Timeline for a Redshirt Freshman

As per NCAA regulations, student-athletes in D1 and D2 schools possess five full school years (equivalent to 10 semesters or 15 quarters) to complete four years of college sports. This allows student-athletes to “redshirt” any one of their four college years.

For those who choose to redshirt in their freshman year, competitive gameplay against other teams typically begins in their sophomore year, thereby extending their eligibility to play college sports for an additional year post-graduation. These athletes are occasionally referred to as fifth-year seniors.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Redshirting

The decision to redshirt as a freshman presents both advantages and disadvantages. However, it may serve as a beneficial option for student-athletes requiring additional time to develop academically and athletically, recuperate from preseason injuries, or extend their eligibility for collegiate sports.

Advantages

Redshirt freshman status offers two primary advantages: it grants student-athletes a dedicated year to enhance their athletic abilities while focusing on college coursework. The transition from high school to college can be overwhelming, making redshirting an option to minimize the initial pressure on freshman student-athletes. This additional year allows them to acclimate to college life and fine-tune their athletic skills, enabling a more focused approach to competition in their sophomore year.

Long-term value over short-term satisfaction: Redshirting allows for a full year of development and a year of competition on the back end of a college career.
Physical and emotional maturity: A redshirt year provides an opportunity to mature physically and emotionally before contributing to the team.
Academic Benefits: A redshirt year allows athletes to get their academics in order. Playing any sport in college is HARD, take advantage of the resources your college has for you. Develop a relationship with your academic counselor or tutor. Spend a few hours in the library each week rewriting notes or reading for your class. Your redshirt year is a great time to figure out what your routines of success are going to be while you don’t have the added pressure of competing your first year in college.

Disadvantages

A significant downside of being a redshirt freshman is the exclusion from participating in competitive games or team travel for a year. Additionally, redshirt freshmen often face increased training demands, as coaches expect visible improvements during the redshirt period, either in skill enhancement or recovery from injuries.

Types of Redshirt Status

Redshirt Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior

The term redshirt freshman indicates a student-athlete who is an academic sophomore (provided enough credits were earned during the athlete's true freshman year) whose participation in athletics as a true freshman did not exceed the limits that would require the eligibility clock to start. The following year, the student-athlete is typically an academic junior and called a redshirt sophomore for athletics purposes, for using a second year of athletic eligibility. A redshirt senior is a fifth-year undergraduate student using a fourth year of eligibility. Such a student-athlete may actually be participating in a fifth season, but the participation in one of those seasons was minimal and did not use a year of eligibility.

Fifth-Year Senior

A fifth-year senior is a student athlete who is a fifth-year undergraduate student who has five years of eligibility. Student-athletes who were matriculated while college athletics were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic were granted additional eligibility by the NCAA, even if their participation was not affected in a significant way.

True Freshman

A true freshman is a student-athlete who is in their first year as an undergraduate student. Student athletes just out of high school may not be ready for the academic and athletic demands at the university level.

Medical Redshirt

A special case involves the eligibility of an athlete who loses the majority of a season to injury, popularly known as a medical redshirt. A hardship waiver may be granted to those athletes who sustain a major injury while appearing in less than 30% of competitions and have not participated after the midpoint of a season. Redshirt sophomore lacrosse attacker Abigail Lagos was redshirted during her freshman year due to a season-ending hip injury. Lagos said that she was frustrated because she wanted to play. “It was hard. It was mentally challenging, but then physically challenging coming back because I injured my hip so I wasn’t able to run. I wasn’t able to walk as much,” Lagos said. “So it was hard to sit out and I remember I really didn’t want to go to any of the practices and a lot of the team things because I wasn’t as involved. I felt kind of distant from them because I wasn’t able to do everything that they were doing, even though I really wanted to. So it was a difficult process. Despite her initial frustration, Lagos said she thinks that the extra year will be beneficial because she will have more knowledge and skill, which will enable her to play at a different level.

Academic Redshirt

In 2016, a new status could be applied to prospective student athletes, dubbed an academic redshirt. That year, the NCAA started enforcing new, stricter admissions requirements for incoming athletic freshmen. Under these new requirements, a student athlete who meets a school's own academic admission requirements but does not meet the NCAA requirement of a 2.3 GPA across four years, may enter school as an academic redshirt. This student can receive an athletic scholarship and practice with the team, but may not participate in competition. An academic redshirt does not lose a year of eligibility, and may later take an injury redshirt if needed.

Grayshirt

An athlete may also use a "grayshirt" year, in which the athlete attends school as neither a full-time student nor the recipient of a scholarship. The athlete is an unofficial member of the team and does not participate in practices, games, or receive financial assistance from the athletic department. One example is an athlete who is injured right before college and requires an entire year to recuperate. Rather than waste the redshirt, the athlete can attend school as a part-time student and join the team later. This is also used by athletes with religious obligations, serving in the military, or completing missionary work that keeps them out of school for a season. Any eligibility lost during this time is deferred to future seasons.

Blueshirt

"Blueshirt" athletes are those that the NCAA does not classify as a "recruited student-athlete". They have never made an official visit to the school, met with the school's athletic employees, had more than one phone call with them, or received a scholarship offer. These athletes are walk-ons, but can receive scholarships after enrolling; although they are immediately eligible to compete, their scholarships count for the school's quota in the following year.

Pinkshirt

A pinkshirt refers to a female athlete who misses a season due to pregnancy. The pinkshirt is only applicable if they do not compete during that season.

Changes to Redshirt Rules

Shortly after the start of the 2024 season, NCAA Division I (both FBS and FCS) adopted a change to redshirt rules. The four-game limit now applies only to regular-season games. Generally, eligibility must be used up within six years of enrolling at an eligible NCAA institution. Redshirts and medical redshirt eligibility deferrals cannot go beyond this six-year period.

Redshirting in Other Athletic Associations

In the NJCAA system, use of redshirt may be pointless, as most students graduate in two years.

In the Philippine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), a student athlete moving from one member school to another are required to "serve residency" or sit-out for at least one season before they can represent their new school.

Notable Redshirts

Andrew Luck (QB, Indianapolis Colts)
Michael Vick (QB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Marcus Mariota (QB, Tennessee Titans)
Jameis Winston (QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Michael Crabtree (WR, Oakland Raiders)
Clay Matthews (LB, Green Bay Packers)
Dwyane Wade (PG, Miami Heat)
Emmanuel Sanders (WR, Denver Broncos)
Brett Hundley (QB, Green Bay Packers)
Larry Bird (PF, Boston Celtics)*
JJ Watt (DE, Houston Texans)**

*Redshirt year came after transferring schools

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