You often here the term “Redshirt” or “Redshirted Freshman” when it comes to NCAA College sports. I thought I had a pretty good handle on what the term meant, but it turns out there is actually a lot more to it than I suspected.

First, the NCAA defines “Redshirt” in the following manner (and believe me this is not exactly the clearest of definitions so we will break it down after):

“The term “redshirt” is used to describe a student-athlete who does not participate in competition in a sport for an entire academic year. If you do not compete in a sport the entire academic year, you have not used a season of competition. For example, if you are a qualifier, and you attend a four-year college your freshman year, and you practice but do not compete against outside competition, you would still have the next four years to play four seasons of competition.

Each student is allowed no more than four seasons of competition per sport. If you were not a qualifier, you may have fewer seasons of competition available to you. You should know that NCAA rules indicate that any competition, regardless of time, during a season counts as one of your seasons of competition in that sport. It does not matter how long you were involved in a particular competition (for example, one play in a football game, one point in a volleyball match); you will be charged with one season of competition.”

Ok so what does that exactly mean? Well the most important point is that each student is allowed no more than four seasons of competition per sport. The second major point is that you may practice with the team the entire year so long as you do not play. However by no means does this guarantee that you will receive “Redshirt” status.

While the “redshirt” status may be conferred by a coach at the beginning of the year, it is not confirmed until the end of the season, and more specifically, it does not rule a player ineligible in advance to participate in the season. This leaves the option open to the coach to play an otherwise “redshirted” player.

So why “Redshirt”? There are two basic reasons:

1) An athlete may be asked to “redshirt” if he or she would have no opportunity to play as an academic freshman. This is a common occurence in many sports where there is already an established starter or too much depth at the position in which the freshman in question is planning to play.

2) There is also a medical “redshirt” that may be obtained to replace a season lost to injury. A medical “redshirt” can be granted by the governing body for a season lost completely or almost completely to injury. A medical “redshirt” can allow a player to gain additional eligibility beyond the standard four academic calendar years.

But wait it does not stop there, if you’ve played in any organized sports and you are older than 21 you have lost a year of eligibility for each year of sports you played…sorry, I just relay the facts. You are too old to play in the NCAA.

“In Division I only, if a student-athlete has participated as an individual or as a team representative in organized sports competition, that kind of participation during each 12-month period after his/her 21st birthday and prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment will count as one year of varsity competition in that sport.”

So the dream has vanished for most of you but if you are a grad student there may still be hope, I’m sorry I had to break the bad news to you but most of you are well past your ability to be eligible for the NCAA…Time to declare for the NBA draft.

Wikipedia - NCAA Eligibility