Red Shirting

[Benjamin]

Can someone please explain to me what red shirting is and how it actually works? 'Cause I can't figure it out for the life of me.

[Lineker]

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Making someone bleed?

[naiwf]

Can someone please explain to me what red shirting is and how it actually works? 'Cause I can't figure it out for the life of me.

It's basically a way to keep someone around the team without using up one of their 4 years of eligibility. Generally it's done for medical reasons. The idea is that the player will be around the program for 5 years, but will sit out one of them and not "waste" one of the 4 that count by doing so. A red shirt freshman for instance graduated HS a full year before he actually started to play. Academically the guy might be a sophomore, but in terms of the NCAA he still has 4 years under scholarship left.

[Meacon Keaton]

As in for college athletics?

I'll give you the short answer:

College athletes are given four years of eligibility. So, lets say I play football at some University. If I don't play my freshman year, I was 'redshirted'. I still have four years of eligibility, despite now being a sophomore. So in the classroom, I'm a sophomore, but on the field, I'm a 'redshirt' freshman, because I still have four years of on-the-field eligibility left.

I can go into more detail if that doesn't make sense, but that's the tl;dr version.

[Benjamin]

Alright, thanks, I think I get it now. So you can be red shirted any year? Even if you're a junior or senior?

[sahyder1]

Alright, thanks, I think I get it now. So you can be red shirted any year? Even if you're a junior or senior?

I don't know about senior year but yes, NCAA can grant medical redshirts if someone misses significant time because of injuries.

[Meacon Keaton]

Yeah, I don't recall a senior ever getting a redshirt aside from medical reasons. Right now the Houston Cougar's quarterback Case Keenum is in his sixth year of eligibility, because the NCAA has granted him two separate years of medical redshirts. If I'm remembering correctly, you're eligible for a medical redshirt if you get hurt and play in less than 30% of your team's total plays as a result.

Like I said, it can get a lot more complicated. Just depends on how much info you want.

[Benjamin]

Thanks, guys, explains a lot.

[King Ellis]

All right, men, this is a dangerous mission. And it's likely one of us will be killed. The landing party will consist of myself, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Ensign Ricky.

[HailtotheYo]

You can redshirt at any junction in your eligibility. Seniors/Juniors are hardly ever redshirted for other than medical issues because at that point in your college career injury would be pretty much the only thing keeping you off the field.

JUCO players though is where you'll find a JR/SR getting a "normal" redshirt as though they were incoming freshman. Transfers also.