True Freshman vs. Redshirt Freshman: Understanding College Athlete Eligibility

The world of college athletics can be confusing, especially when it comes to understanding the different classifications of student-athletes. Two terms that frequently surface are "true freshman" and "redshirt freshman." This article will delve into the nuances of these terms, explaining their meanings, implications, and benefits for aspiring college athletes.

True Freshman Explained

A true freshman is a student-athlete who is in their first year at any school and playing games for a college team during their first year of college classes. A true freshman is a student-athlete who is in their first year as an undergraduate student. Dylan Raiola will make his Nebraska debut on Saturday. ESPN reported on Aug 30, 2024, that Nebraska's football program is betting big on its freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was recently announced as the team's starter for the 2024 season opener against UTEP on Saturday. Raiola was the third-ranked quarterback and No. 11 player on the 2024 ESPN 300. Raiola kicking off his collegiate career as a starting true freshman is significant, as it's generally a move reserved for a school's most highly touted players.

Examples of Successful True Freshman Quarterbacks

Many true freshman starting quarterbacks have achieved collegiate success that propelled them to the NFL. Here are a few notable examples:

Caleb Williams (2021, Oklahoma): Ranked as the No. 17 recruit in the 2021 ESPN 300, Williams started the final seven games of the season, playing in 11. He accumulated 1,912 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and 4 interceptions that season. He later transferred to USC for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, and was the No. 1 draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bo Nix (2019, Auburn): As the No. 23 recruit in the 2019 ESPN 300, Nix started all 13 games for Auburn. He led No. 16 Auburn to a season-opening win over No. 11 Oregon with a go-ahead 26-yard touchdown pass with 9 seconds remaining in the game (trailed 21-20 prior to play). In 2019, he had 2,542 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Nix made 34 career starts at Auburn before transferring to Oregon for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and made 61 starts in his career, most by QB in FBS history. He was the 1st player in FBS history to be responsible for 55 touchdowns at multiple schools and the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Trevor Lawrence (2018, Clemson): The No. 2 recruit in the 2018 ESPN 300, Lawrence started the final 11 games of the season and played in all 15. He won the National Championship (Clemson def. Alabama 44-16) and had 3,280 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 2018. He was also named the 2018 ACC Rookie of the Year and 2020 ACC Player of the Year. He is one of 6 QBs in ACC history with 90 passing touchdowns and the 1st pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jalen Hurts (2016, Alabama): Hurts started 14 of 15 games for Alabama in 2016, amassing 2,780 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and 13 rushing touchdowns. He lost the National Championship game in the 2016 season (Clemson won 35-31). Before transferring to Oklahoma for the 2019 season, he had 28 career starts at Alabama. In 2019 at Oklahoma, he had 3,851 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and 20 rushing touchdowns. He finished 2nd in Heisman voting in 2019 at Oklahoma and was the 53rd pick (2nd round) in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Lamar Jackson (2015, Louisville): Jackson holds the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season and career. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, he had 3,660 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 1,601 rushing yards, and 18 rushing touchdowns. He was the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
Josh Rosen (2015, UCLA): Rosen was the first Bruin true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback in 2015 and started in all 13 games. He holds the record for most passing yards in a season by a true freshman for UCLA and was named second-team All-Pac-12 in 2017. He led the largest comeback in UCLA history in a 45-44 win over Texas A&M in 2017 and was the 10th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Jared Goff (2013, California): Goff started all 37 games possible during his three seasons at Cal. He received honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors in 2013 and 2014 and was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2015. He was named Most Outstanding Player in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in 2015, was a Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalist in 2015, and led Cal to its first bowl game since 2011 and first postseason win since 2008 in 2015.

Redshirt Freshman Explained

A redshirt freshman is a college student-athlete who sits out of gameplay their freshman year and begins their first athletic season during their sophomore year. A “redshirt freshman” refers to a college student-athlete who abstains from competitive play during their freshman year and commences their initial athletic season in their sophomore year. This implies that a redshirt freshman is an athletic “freshman” but an academic sophomore. Most likely a "red-shirt freshman" in college football is a sophomore in college who practiced with the team his first year but did not play in any games (at the coach's request), or was seriously injured during his first season.

The Concept of "Redshirting"

A “redshirt” characterizes a college student-athlete who refrains from participating in gameplay for a season while retaining eligibility to compete in four years of college sports. Though redshirts do not engage in games against other schools, they can practice with their team to refine their skills and receive athletic scholarships or financial aid. When a player is given the "red-shirt" designation by his or her coach, that means he or she has participated in a college's academic year, but did not participate during that year's sports season.

Read also: The Heisman and First-Year Players

The term "redshirting" likely came from the student-athlete Warren Alfson of the University of Nebraska. In 1937, Alfson asked to practice with the team but not play in any games. Since Nebraska’s team color was red, Warren wore a red shirt without a number. Since then, student-athletes who sit out of competitive gameplay for a year have been dubbed “redshirts” by players and coaches.

Purpose of Redshirting

There are several reasons why a freshman might opt for redshirting:

Easing the transition from high school to college.
Enhancing athletic skills before competitive gameplay.
Recovering from a pre-season injury.

Benefits of Redshirting

Becoming a redshirt freshman allows student-athletes to better transition from high school to college life without the pressure of competing right away. This period allows them to concentrate on acclimatizing to college academics while familiarizing themselves with their respective sports and teams from the sidelines. It grants these athletes additional time to grow and refine their athletic abilities before facing top-tier competition. Coaches can also benefit from redshirting student-athletes during their freshman year. Additionally, coaches might opt for redshirting to extend a freshman athlete’s eligibility for college sports. Redshirting as a freshman proves beneficial for student-athletes who sustain injuries before their inaugural competitive season. It grants them two semesters to recuperate from their injury while retaining eligibility to compete in college sports for four years.

Timeline for a Redshirt Freshman

As per NCAA regulations, student-athletes in D1 and D2 schools possess five full school years (equivalent to 10 semesters or 15 quarters) to complete four years of college sports. The "red-shirt" designation means that that season will not count against the player's four years of NCAA eligibility, allowing him to play four full seasons. This allows student-athletes to “redshirt” any one of their four college years. For those who choose to redshirt in their freshman year, competitive gameplay against other teams typically begins in their sophomore year, thereby extending their eligibility to play college sports for an additional year post-graduation. These athletes are occasionally referred to as fifth-year seniors.

Advantages of Redshirting

Redshirt freshman status offers two primary advantages: it grants student-athletes a dedicated year to enhance their athletic abilities while focusing on college coursework. The transition from high school to college can be overwhelming, making redshirting an option to minimize the initial pressure on freshman student-athletes. This additional year allows them to acclimate to college life and fine-tune their athletic skills, enabling a more focused approach to competition in their sophomore year. Two of the main pros of being a redshirt freshman are that student-athletes get a year to build up their athletic skills and focus on college classes. Transitioning from high school to college can be an adjustment, so it might be good for a freshman student-athlete to redshirt to minimize feeling overwhelmed.

Read also: Understanding Anesthesia

Disadvantages of Redshirting

A significant downside of being a redshirt freshman is the exclusion from participating in competitive games or team travel for a year. Additionally, redshirt freshmen often face increased training demands, as coaches expect visible improvements during the redshirt period, either in skill enhancement or recovery from injuries. A major con of being a redshirt freshman is that you won’t get to do everything their team does for a year, like play competitive games or travel.

NCAA Regulations and Redshirting

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does not use “redshirt” as an official term. However, players and coaches occasionally use this term within Division 1 (D1) and Division 2 (D2) sports. Redshirt is not an official term recognized by the NCAA. As such, the rules for redshirting are different for each division of college athletics.

Division I: Athletes have five full years to complete four years of competition during their career as student-athletes. This five-year clock begins when they enroll as a full-time student and continues even if they transition to part-time or transfer to another school.
Division II: Athletes have 10 semesters or 15 quarters to participate as student-athletes. Like Division I athletes, Division II players have four years in which they can compete against other teams.
Division III: Student-athletes are not permitted to have elective redshirt status at Division III colleges. However, in some cases, medical redshirting is allowed when an athlete plays one-third of their playing season or less before an injury.

Additional Redshirt-Related Terms

Redshirt Sophomore: A student-athlete who is an academic junior but a redshirt sophomore for athletics purposes, for using a second year of athletic eligibility.
Redshirt Senior: A fifth-year undergraduate student using a fourth year of eligibility. Such a student-athlete may actually be participating in a fifth season, but the participation in one of those seasons was minimal and did not use a year of eligibility.
Fifth-Year Senior: A student-athlete who is a fifth-year undergraduate student who has five years of eligibility.
Academic Redshirt: In 2016, a new status could be applied to prospective student athletes, dubbed an academic redshirt. That year, the NCAA started enforcing new, stricter admissions requirements for incoming athletic freshmen. Under these new requirements, a student athlete who meets a school's own academic admission requirements but does not meet the NCAA requirement of a 2.3 GPA across four years, may enter school as an academic redshirt. This student can receive an athletic scholarship and practice with the team, but may not participate in competition. An academic redshirt does not lose a year of eligibility, and may later take an injury redshirt if needed.
Grayshirt: An athlete may also use a "grayshirt" year, in which the athlete attends school as neither a full-time student nor the recipient of a scholarship. The athlete is an unofficial member of the team and does not participate in practices, games, or receive financial assistance from the athletic department. One example is an athlete who is injured right before college and requires an entire year to recuperate. Rather than waste the redshirt, the athlete can attend school as a part-time student and join the team later. This is also used by athletes with religious obligations, serving in the military, or completing missionary work that keeps them out of school for a season. Any eligibility lost during this time is deferred to future seasons.
Blueshirt: "Blueshirt" athletes are those that the NCAA does not classify as a "recruited student-athlete". They have never made an official visit to the school, met with the school's athletic employees, had more than one phone call with them, or received a scholarship offer. These athletes are walk-ons, but can receive scholarships after enrolling; although they are immediately eligible to compete, their scholarships count for the school's quota in the following year.
Pinkshirt: A pinkshirt refers to a female athlete who misses a season due to pregnancy. The pinkshirt is only applicable if they do not compete during that season.

tags: #true #freshman #vs #redshirt #freshman #explained