NCAA
(National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules allow a college football
player five years to complete his four seasons of eligibility. That fifth year
in which the player doesn't compete on the field, although he practices and
receives his scholarship just as any other player on a football scholarship, is
called the redshirt year. Usually, new recruits are redshirted their freshman
year because they tend to need more time to develop as college players who can
contribute to the success of the team. A freshman player who plays in games
during his first year on campus (he isn't redshirted) will have only three additional
years to play, but a freshman who doesn't play in games during his first year
in college (he's redshirted) will still have four more years of playing
eligibility after that first year.
A high
school player receives a greenshirt or is "greenshirted" when he
graduates early from high school, foregoing his spring semester there so that he
can enroll in college during that spring semester. Almost unheard of until
recent years, the greenshirt allows high school players to participate in
spring practice with his college team, develop his football skills and
understanding of the team's system during the spring and summer, and possibly
begin playing in games the following fall. This system gives a player and the
college team an early start on preparing to play football in college, but comes
at the cost of leaving high school early, which might or might not be the best
long-term strategy for a student.
A player gets a grayshirt or is "grayshirted" when he signs a letter of intent on signing day in February, but doesn't enter college full-time until the following spring instead of the following fall. He doesn't receive a scholarship, practice with the team, or take a full-time load of college courses until his spring enrollment. Grayshirting a player allows a college to sign a player, but delay his play in games for another year. In effect, grayshirting gives a player another year of practice before play, since the NCAA-mandated five-year eligibility period doesn't begin until a student is enrolled full-time. College programs that have already awarded near the maximum number of scholarships allowed under NCAA rules are forced to sign a small recruiting class, and they are the most interested in players who are willing to grayshirt.
A player gets a grayshirt or is "grayshirted" when he signs a letter of intent on signing day in February, but doesn't enter college full-time until the following spring instead of the following fall. He doesn't receive a scholarship, practice with the team, or take a full-time load of college courses until his spring enrollment. Grayshirting a player allows a college to sign a player, but delay his play in games for another year. In effect, grayshirting gives a player another year of practice before play, since the NCAA-mandated five-year eligibility period doesn't begin until a student is enrolled full-time. College programs that have already awarded near the maximum number of scholarships allowed under NCAA rules are forced to sign a small recruiting class, and they are the most interested in players who are willing to grayshirt.
