New NCAA Football Redshirt Ruling

Today, the NCAA’s Division I council passed legislation that players can compete in up to 4 games in any 1 season and still have that applied as their redshirt season. This is big news as this will allow teams to allow players a chance to see live game action and not lose a complete year of eligibility. The ruling doesn’t discuss medical redshirts so it is unclear if those will still be treated separately or if they will now fall under this catagory. As it stands, to be eligible for a medical redshirt, you can not compete in more than 30% of the season and the injury must occur in the first half of the season. Playing over 30% or any time after the halfway mark of the season voids this option. The new rule only stipulates that the player can play in no more than 4 games.

 

https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/di-football-offer-more-participation-opportunities

This could make FCS really interesting. Let's say you take all of your incoming freshmen and divide them into three groups. Unless as an individual a player is an immediate impact player you play each group four games and the whole class gets a red shirt year. Could make a future coaching change interesting in year two.

This could make FCS really interesting. Let's say you take all of your incoming freshmen and divide them into three groups. Unless as an individual a player is an immediate impact player you play each group four games and the whole class gets a red shirt year. Could make a future coaching change interesting in year two.

 

This is a giant increase in team depth now as it will be much easier to RS your entire class unless you have that immediate impact you mentioned or just a horrendous number of injuries at a position.

 

The biggest negative I see at the FCS level is graduate transfers. Once a player has completed his degree that player is free to transfer anywhere (even up to FBS) without penalty if he still has eligibity left.

The other limiting factor is the 65 equivolent full scholarship total. I admit I don't know how the football scholarships are counted. Can you give say ten players half scholarships for a total of five equivalent?

The other limiting factor is the 65 equivolent full scholarship total. I admit I don't know how the football scholarships are counted. Can you give say ten players half scholarships for a total of five equivalent?

 

Yes. At the FBS level teams are allows 85 scholarships that are all full. At the FCS level the 63 allowed are able to be split anyway the staff sees fit. However these 63 scholarships can only be split across 85 players. That’s why I feel FCS recruiting is so much more difficult than FBS. Not only are you having to dig deeper than FBS teams to find players, you can basically be put in a bidding war if you’re after a kid that you are only offering a partial scholarship.

This could make FCS really interesting. Let's say you take all of your incoming freshmen and divide them into three groups. Unless as an individual a player is an immediate impact player you play each group four games and the whole class gets a red shirt year. Could make a future coaching change interesting in year two.

 

 

 

hmmmm...playing this many freshmen, you are either having a really good year and blowing people out or a bad year and getting blown out every game.