What does it mean to be "red shirted" (i.e. "a red shirt freshman" or "a red shirt senior")?

Question

What are the limitations on such a player?
What are the benefits to the team/player?

Answer 1

A red shirt freshmen is one additional year of football, without eligibility to play. NCAA rules allow 4 years of college athletics, and if your school feels that you could benefit from one year of practice, then you get red-shirted and can practice all year, and play up to 20 minutes total game time (they do monitor it - up to the second!).

Since most kids take at least 4 1/2 years to get through, this is how they track the players. So, when they are referred to as a "red-shirt freshmen" they are actually in their second year (or season) of football; they were the red-shirt last year and practiced, but did not play.

Answer 2

When they call a player a "red-shirt" it means that they have been on the team, but never played in a game for one of a few reasons. First the coach may not feel like the player is ready to play are that level and may need one more year to get up to that level. Second the player might have had medical problems that kept him from playing. And finally the coach might have a top notch recruit at a position but has a great player there, so he gives him a "red shirt." But to be blunt the "red-shirt" means that that player have been part of the team but not played in a game, but does not lose a year of NCAA eligibility, allowing them to have all four years of eligibility.

Answer 3

it allows some one to stay under scholarship longer. Basically if you are red shirted you still practice with the team but you don't play.
Each player gets 4 years of eligibility. The red shirt year allows them to stay with the team and still get o play for up to 4 years. A lot of times you will see a rb or qb get red shirted because they would be 4th or 5th on the depth chart.
There are also medical red shirts that happen once in a while after a petition to the ncaa

Answer 4

when a player is red shirted it means he was on the team for a year but didnt play in any NCAA games becasue of poor grades or other reasons (usually grades). NCAA only lets players play for 4 years. The year a player is red shirted doesn't count toward this total amount of years played. so a redshirted freshman is really a sophmore who didn't play in any NCAA sanctioned games his freshman year.

Answer 5

red shirt freshman means not playing your freshman year but you are still on the team they spend that year getting bigger and better in the weight room

Answer 6

REDSHIRTED MEANS THAT SEASON DOESNT COUNT AGAINST THEIR 4 YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY... CAN ONLY PLAY IN THREE GAMES THAT SEASON..BENEFIT IS IF YOU HAVE 2 GOOD QB'S YOU CAN SAVE ONE OF THEM FOR WHEN THE OTHER GETS DRAFTED OR LEAVES