The term "redshirt" is used to describe a student-athlete who does not participate in competition in a sport for an entire academic year, and thereby does not use one of his 4 years of athletic eligibility. Here are the rules for redshirting:
- Any given player can only be redshirted once in his career
- A player can have a redshirt year any of his four years, but redshirting will be harder to pull off as players progress through their playing career. (Example. Redshirting a Freshman will be much easier to accomplish with no negative ramifications than redshirting a Junior or Senior).
- A player can be tagged as a redshirt if:
- The player has not yet played in a game that season
- He has not already been redshirted at some point in his career
- No one else is currently being redshirted
- The National Championship game has not yet been played
Notes:
- Any player who has been tagged as a redshirt can be untagged at anytime during the season.
- Teams can redshirt a maximum of 1 player per season.
- Redshirted players will still practice with the team and experience player improvements during the season
- Redshirted players will NOT dress for the game, meaning no matter the situation, they will not be used in a game.
- Exhibition games do NOT count when determining redshirt eligibility, meaning players can play in both exhibition games and then be given a redshirt.