Redshirt rules heading for a change?

Submitted by I Like Burgers on

A new change to the redshirt rule is getting sent to the competition committee and will be reviewed next week.  The change would make it so a freshman could play up to four games in a season -- any four games -- and still retain their redshirt.

The path to it becoming an actual change is long:

First up, the newly formed Division I Football Competition Committee, chaired by Arizona State AD Ray Anderson, will discuss the proposal at its May 16 meeting. If they’re on board, they forward the proposal to Division I’s Football Oversight Committee, chaired by Bowlsby. That committee could then formally sponsor legislation to be considered by the larger Division I Council, with the possibility of going up for vote at January’s NCAA convention.

But the rule did receive unanimous support at the AFCA's convention last January.

Personally, I think this would be great for the game.  Would allow you to put a freshman out there early in the year, see if he's ready, and if he's not you don't have to make up a bogus injury to restore the redshirt.  Dana Holgorsen is in favor of that:

“If you think the kid is ready to play, and he goes out there in September but he’s scared to death, goes out there and plays two series and s—- down his leg, now you’re stuck with him, and the kid’s screwed. He may not play the rest of the year and he’s burned that year.”

It would also allow you to sub in for an injured QB without having to worry about blowing a redshirt for only a few plays, or a few games (like Shea Patterson's burned redshirt for Ole Miss).  And it would allow you to play freshman in your bowl game, which could offset players skipping bowl games for the NFL Draft.  Which is definitely going to become a bigger thing after Fournette and McCaffrey didn't see their draft stock drop at all for doing that.

Good write up on the proposed change over at Fox Sports.

 

umjgheitma

May 8th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^

this will be nice for a kid that comes on late in his freshman year. Like a lineman that needed a few months of polishing or trim/add some weight then can be a rotation piece for the last few games of the season to keep starters a little fresher...

I Like Burgers

May 8th, 2017 at 2:01 PM ^

True. Would help offset some of the advantage early enrollees gain.  And offset the pitch of early playing time.  Any coach could sell a recruit on early playing time without having to worry about burning his redshirt.  Let them play early or against some cupcakes wherever they may fall in your schedule, or make them earn their way to PT late in the season or for the bowl game.

EGD

May 8th, 2017 at 2:06 PM ^

Is this only for freshmen, or does it apply to any player who competes in fewer than five games in a season?

I Like Burgers

May 8th, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^

Its the same as current redshirt rules -- it applies to all players.  The same way Shane Morris picked up a redshirt this past season, any player with a redshirt year available can earn one at any point in their career.

Which makes me realize that this would probably increase the amount of transfer players you'd get since there are plenty of players that play in four seasons, don't pick up a redshirt the normal way, but still play in four or fewer games a season.  QBs would be the main ones but I'm sure there's plently of other players (like linemen) this applies to too.

username03

May 8th, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^

This site would definitely have to upgrade the servers with all the extra redshirting talk this rule would enable. 

Personally, I'm all for anything that encourages more conversation about the players that aren't really playing.

jshclhn

May 8th, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^

Curious how this might impact record keeping.

As I understand it today, the medical redshirt is more exception basis.  If the guy played, you have to file for the medical redshirt.

Under this proposal, you would probably have to submit fairly detailed game logs to substantiate who played each game.  Maybe I am overthinking it and this data is already being collected and reported on to the NCAA.

I Like Burgers

May 8th, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^

Its the same path.  Michigan announces they are going to IMG for spring break in Feb, they take the trip in March, SEC coaches get huffy over it, the proposed rule goes to committee in late spring, gets further ratified in the fall, and becomes an official rule in January.

While everyone could see the writing on the wall, those IMG-style spring break trips weren't officially against the rules until Jan 2017.  Harbaugh anticipated the rule passing, and went with the Rome trip instead.

Qmatic

May 8th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^

The allowing Freshmen to play in Bowl Games is something that should have been done a long time ago. They are postseason games where now with the CFP do not carry as much weight as they used to. With the sponsors and conferences lining their pockets because of these bowl games, it would be nice if they did something that benefited the players.

Wolfman

May 8th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^

which freshmen are ready and which are not. You can tell in practice if a young man is mentally ready to play. And determining his physical maturity is much, much easier. It is odd they are trying to help the coaches from looking like idiots though. 

funkywolve

May 8th, 2017 at 5:28 PM ^

what to do in blow outs?  

As it is now, if you are pounding a conference opponent 77-0 and are emptying the bench you have to decide whether you want to burn a possible red shirt year for a freshman to get some snaps in garbage time.  

If a player can play 4 (let alone even 2 or 3 games) and still be eligible for a red shirt, you can insert freshmen into blowouts to get some live reps.  

SFBayAreaBlue

May 8th, 2017 at 8:44 PM ^

the eligibility limit was stupid and unamerican anyway.  I mean, am I only allowed to take engineering classes for 4 years, 5 if I was absent a lot my freshman year???

Carcajou

May 8th, 2017 at 11:37 PM ^

Why not simply allow a player to participate in a maximum of 48 regular-season games (and a maximum of games in 4 post seasons) in a 5 (or 6) year period?