Policy/Timeline For Reclaiming Redshirts

Submitted by LKLIII on

Maybe this is a better topic for sometime early next year, but we all remember the red shirt bonfire that Harbaugh had in September of this year.  I could be wrong, but it seems like only Peters and maybe 1-2 others kept their red shirts all year long.

Elsewhere earlier this season I read that we'd be able to put redshirts back onto some of those players.  I guess my question for the football/NCAA experts is twofold:

1)  How & when does that work exactly?  What's the criteria & circumstances under which redshirts can be reclaimed?

2)  Do we know who those candidates might be?  Obviously guys like Asiasi, McDoom & Evans probably won't be able to get theirs back, but IIRC, we torched A LOT of them just for a small handful of garbage time plays in September.

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jmblue

December 19th, 2016 at 4:30 PM ^

The issue is over medical redshirts.  You have to apply to the NCAA, showing some kind of proof that the player couldn't participate in the final 70% of the season for some medical-related reason.  It can take awhile to get the clearance.  Sometimes schools don't go through with the paperwork for a couple of years.   With Devin Gardner I remember it wasn't until his junior year or so that we found out he was granted one.

 

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Cali's Goin' Blue

December 19th, 2016 at 4:43 PM ^

Harbaugh seems like the type of guy to wait til their senior years to decide whether he wants them back for the extra year and in that case, would apply for the 5th year. There is no time limit really and the longer you wait the more information gets buried and we can come up with an "injury" for the player. That's honestly how it works

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AZBlue

December 19th, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^

I think Harbaugh and staff would apply for medicals for all that can possibly apply. It is easy enough to come up with "back pain" or "ankle soreness" as the reason for not playing after the cutoff date. Heck probably every player had some type of injury by the time game 3 was over - most who were needed just played with/through them.

I'd bet that the plan is for most of the non-linemen to be gone to the NFL by year 3 or 4 but preserving the RS allows those that don't to go elsewhere in year 5 to pursue academic goals if they have been passed on the field.

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LKLIII

December 19th, 2016 at 4:53 PM ^

I guess that makes sense.  Saves a ton of paperwork.  So if in the fall of 2019 it looks like some of these kids could be really solid contributors in the 2020 season as potential 5th years, the team will look into the medical archives & figure out if they can submit an argument for medically related non-participation for at least one of the previous 4 years (assuming a kid didn't get a regular redshirt their sophomore year).

It's logical in a game w/ so much attrition.  In some cases kids will leave early for the NFL, some kids will wash out, some kids will serve 4 years & be given a firm handshake.  Then in the subset of kids where none of that happens, Michigan submits the paperwork to the NCAA to try to keep them.

I suppose it also helps with the credibility argument too.  If we submit like 9-12 medical red shirt applicaitons this year it seems pretty implausible, whereas if through attirition we only submit 2-4 it's much more legit.  The only question then is would we ever submit a medical red shirt application to a kid who does NOT project to ever play for us?  For example, to preserve a year of eligibility just to do a favor for a kid who might transfer to another school for playing time?  Or would that be the responsibility of whatever school is the destination of the kid?

 

 

 

 

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Mr Miggle

December 19th, 2016 at 4:44 PM ^

Wheatley has mentioned his injury. I'd be very surprised if they aren't more. We did have a lot of freshmen who did not play past the deadline for medical redshirts.

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ThadMattasagoblin

December 19th, 2016 at 4:46 PM ^

I'm guessing that we will work on redshirts for some of the freshmen who only played a few games at the beginnig of the season. Whether or not they were actually injured, we'll probably apply for medical redshirts.

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readyourguard

December 19th, 2016 at 4:53 PM ^

I think the majority of those guys who got early playing time will still receive a redshirt. I'm not 100% sure but isn't there some rule about playing in the first few games and not losing a year?

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LKLIII

December 19th, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^

Yeah, that's the purpose of my original post.  I was under the impression that there's some other rule in which a kid can get his RS back without the 70% injury thing being applied.  However, I don't know much about the ins & outs of the NCAA rulebook, so I suppose it's possible I was mistaken and what's really planned is this delayed version of appliying for medical RS once the kid looks like he might be useful as a 5th year (or 6th year) player.

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Stevedez

December 19th, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^

I am kinda hoping that Michigan's recruiting success makes redshirts obsolete. Too much is being placed on having 4 year depth players, but I think that in the near future, we see more guys who leave early for the NFL which isn't a bad thing. I was pleasantly surprised at Asiasi this year being quite advanced with his playing time. I see the elite teams landing the top recruits who don't redshirt, so why does everyone fuss over UM burning them? I just hope it is because they are talented and not because we can't put someone serviceable at a particular position.

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trustBlue

December 19th, 2016 at 5:56 PM ^

It's the latter.  Eligibility for a "freshman" red shirt is burned as soon as the player plays a single down. Eligibilty for a medical redshirt can be preserved if the player plays no more than the first 30% of the season.

So what most schools do is play a lot of freshman during garbage time early in the season with the expectation of that they can still claim a medical if needed. 

 

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pmark1210

December 19th, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^

my question is: are redshirts based on academic year or calendar year? could a player who is redshirted in the fall, play in the bowl game?

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Leaders And Best

December 19th, 2016 at 5:32 PM ^

I think anyone who was held out of the Rutgers game after playing in the first couple games is probably a strong bet to be applying for a medical redshirt.

I think the policy is a documented medical injury where you play for less than 30% of the regular season and not play in any games in the second half of the regular season.

Candidates: David Long, Carlo Kemp, Nick Eubanks, Josh Uche, Kingston Davis, Michael Dwumfour

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Leaders And Best

December 19th, 2016 at 8:05 PM ^

Rutgers was the 4th blowout Michigan played in (>30% of season), and more importantly, I think almost everyone on the travel team played in that game, and Michigan substituted early and often. I guess we will see, but I think anyone who played in 4 games is going to have a hard time making a case like McKeon will.

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Bo Nederlander

December 19th, 2016 at 5:33 PM ^

If they can go to the draft early, just eliminate redshirts and let them play a 5th year. They're likely in their grad program anyway. I hate how so many people think it's OK to nanny other grown people. 

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father fisch

December 19th, 2016 at 6:35 PM ^

It's an interesting idea. Any kid like a Peppers who is good enough to go to the NFL early won't need to worry about a redshirt. Any kid who wants to play his entire career could play five years while they are in undergrad or grad school. Then you could eliminate the redshirt application process.

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