Explore the impact of redshirting on college athletes
By MEGAN JOSEPH — sports@theaggie.org
Redshirting may sound like an unfamiliar term with a funny name. But, for collegiate athletes, redshirting is one of the best alternatives in collegiate sports.
The official term “redshirting” refers to athletes who choose to not participate in certain seasons or games of their collegiate career in order to maximize their eligibility in the sport. As stated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s rules for collegiate athletes, “A student-athlete shall not engage in more than four seasons of intercollegiate competition in any one sport.”
Therefore, since collegiate athletes are only allowed to participate in a total of four seasons while at the university, athletes may choose to “redshirt” or save their eligibility so that they can further develop their skills mentally and physically before competing.
Redshirting allows student athletes to not only grow in their sport but also continue to practice in the team without the pressures of having to compete. Additionally, redshirting can give athletes the opportunity to get accustomed to the college lifestyle socially and academically before adding a sport into the mix.
“I think any athlete should be willing to redshirt because it means you’re saving up your eligibility so that you can get more minutes in a game and grow as an athlete […both] physically and mentally. I got to work more in the weight room and focus on getting stronger and getting smarter in the game and getting experience from the outside on what it means to be playing on the inside or in the water,” Brody Crouch, a third-year communications major, said.
Crouch was a key player for the UC Davis water polo team in their 2022 season. Scoring a total of 13 goals in his first season as an Aggie, Crouch decided to redshirt for his second year in order to have the opportunity to stay for a fifth year and potentially get more minutes in the water during future games.
Aside from allowing players to save their eligibility and get more playing time, redshirting allows athletes to get accustomed to collegiate-level game play without sacrificing a year of in-game play.
“Changing from high school-level competitions and sports to college level is a big jump for everybody, and some people are ready to jump straight into competitions, but some people need more time to get used to the environment and the higher level of play,” Livi Lewis, a third-year biological sciences major, said. “So, it’s a great way to save eligibility while still being in the collegiate sport environment.”
A common concern with redshirting is the worry that the team will form bonds with one another while the player is not present. However, that’s not true, according to Lewis.
“You are totally still part of the team, you’re just not competing in NCAA games,” Lewis said. “It’s very official, but you are still allowed to attend games and practice with the team and you are still required at training. You’re just technically not playing in official games, but you are also still building the bond with the team. You are not ostracized from the team.”
Still, like any major decision, there are some negatives associated with redshirting. When a player decides to officially redshirt, they are ultimately deciding not to compete for an entire season. This decision does preserve a player’s eligibility for future seasons and is only useful if that player decides to stay for a fifth year.
Additionally, redshirting players are not permitted to travel with the team for away games no matter the distance. For some, traveling to games on their own to support the team might be difficult and unmanageable. Nonetheless, having the option to stay for a fifth year and play may be more enticing, or in some cases unavoidable, if a player is receiving less play time or if a player has an injury.
“The way you gain experience is by playing [a] season, so I guess you lose out on that,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, if you aren’t able to or your coach doesn’t think you will get a lot of playing time, then it is a good option because it maximizes your ability to play.”
Crouch also reflected on how the team was a pivotal part in his redshirting experience.
“If anything with redshirting, I think it has brought me closer to my guys,” Crouch said. “I was definitely upset and there was an emotional aspect to it, but because they saw I was down, they were all trying to cheer me up and were always by my side and making me feel like I was a part of the team.”
Deciding whether to redshirt doesn’t just mean weighing the pros and cons — it also includes the reasoning for redshirting. The most common types of redshirting include medical, academic and voluntary.
Medical Redshirting
This type of redshirting is similar to, as it sounds, a medical reason prompting a player to opt for redshirting. This form of redshirting is less of a deliberate choice and more of a circumstantial decision. Regardless, it still allows a player to save their eligibility while taking a season off to focus on healing.
This form of redshirting is crucial for athletes that are facing an injury and cannot compete — for Lewis, this was the only option.
“In February, I tore my [anterior cruciate ligament] ACL and then in March I had surgery,” Lewis said. “Even though the season is kind of far out, ACL recovery and rehabilitation is kind of a long process. It takes roughly nine to 12 months, so I wouldn’t be ready and back to playing in time for our fall 2024 season […] Medically redshirting allows me to save my eligibility even though I cannot play. I can potentially use my saved eligibility at the end of my four years which I can decide later on.”
Academic Redshirting
As student athletes, school is a priority in the lives of players. It is no surprise that many players opt to take a season off from competing in order to get ahead in their classes and focus on their academics. Athletes use the season off to get ahead in their classes and take the more difficult classes when they have more time to allocate to studying.
Additionally, academic redshirting can be decided before stepping foot on the college campus based off of high school transcripts. For athletes to be eligible to compete, they must have a 2.3 Grade Point Average (GPA). If they fall below that threshold, then they are automatically placed on an academic redshirt in order to improve their GPA.
Voluntary Redshirting
The last type of redshirting is one of the most ambiguous and frequently used. This form of redshirting essentially refers to a player willingly sitting out of a competitive season to preserve a year of eligibility. Voluntary redshirting is usually done to give a player a chance to grow their skills before performing in collegiate-level sports.
Furthermore, fourth-year players are typically given more playing time in a game. Thus, if there are many experienced players competing for a player’s position, then they might want to consider redshirting. It will allow them to save their eligibility in order to play when they are more experienced and will get more minutes in a game.
Unfortunately, redshirting does have some negative connotations associated with it, mainly due to the unknowns surrounding the action or the belief that a player redshirts because they are not good enough. However, these connotations are false, according to Crouch.
“I definitely want to break the stigma of it, because it has a negative connotation surrounding it, but it’s just unknown,” Crouch said. “And in my experience with it, it was actually really positive and beneficial.”
Overall, there are many positives associated with redshirting that should not be ignored purely due to the assumed negative connotation. Redshirting can be a beneficial alternative for student athletes to continue to grow and compete as much as possible during their collegiate career.
Written by: Megan Joseph — sports@theaggie.org
