The NCAA has issued a one-time blanket waiver to allow Football Bowl Subdivision players who are redshirting to play in the postseason without counting against the four-game limit. Here’s what you need to know:
- The move, which applies to the 2022-23 postseason only, will help rosters that have been hit hard by injuries, opt-outs and/or players entering the transfer portal.
- The waiver, approved by the Division I Football Oversight Committee this week, acknowledges the current environment and the subsequent challenges it has brought amid coaching changes, the open transfer portal window and the general wear and tear of a long season.
- The idea has been championed by administrators such as ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who brought up the idea just last week at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas.
- The blanket waiver also applies to the College Football Playoff, which means that redshirting players on teams that reach the championship game would be able to play in both the semifinal and championship game without losing a year of eligibility. Theoretically, a player on one of those teams could play in six games and not count as having played this season.
What they’re saying
“We talked about in our commissioners’ meeting, the idea of some of the redshirts being able to play in bowls,” Phillips said. “So you talk about numbers, right, and you have a fixed number of four and when you get to bowl season, why can’t you play those kids? That’s something I’ve really believed in and I’ve talked to others about it, and I think there’s some momentum.”
Phillips expressed regret that the group hadn’t been able to get it done for the 2022-23 postseason, but as it turns out, it was not too late. The waiver takes effect for games beginning on Dec. 15.
How waiver helps FBS teams, players
This waiver will help multiple teams mitigate transfer portal losses and pre-draft opt-outs while giving some younger players a chance to compete one last time. This way, teams don’t have to hold out a player who already competed in four games just to preserve a redshirt. It also allows contributing players a chance at a full bowl experience while not costing them a full season of eligibility. — Dochterman
How redshirts playing in bowl games offers look ahead
Playing redshirts also can help change the narrative that a bowl is more than just a conclusion to the current season and more like a preview of next year.
“I think we really have to lean into this notion of like, ‘Hey, this is, in large part, probably a chance to sort of look at next year’s team,'” said Nick Dawson, vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN who oversees college football and college basketball programming. “Not everybody’s going to be on the team next year. But getting redshirts to be able to play, to be active, all that kind of stuff, really is an opportunity to, for some of these teams, sort of turn the page.” — Dochterman
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Greenwood / Getty)
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FAQs
The NCAA has issued a one-time blanket waiver to allow Football Bowl Subdivision players who are redshirting to play in the postseason without counting against the four-game limit.
Can you play in a bowl game and still redshirt? ›
Not every redshirt candidate is on the same timeline, but any player that hasn't played yet can finish out the year without burning their redshirt. An exception was also granted last year to the rule that bowl games do not count against the four-game redshirt policy.
How many games can you play in NCAA and still redshirt? ›
Removing medical redshirts and allowing an easy-to-understand limit of “no more than four games played” in order to maintain a redshirt. Division II approved a similar redshirt rule before the 2023 season, allowing players to play in no more than three games while maintaining a redshirt season.
Do bowl games count towards a medical redshirt? ›
This means that players with redshirt eligibility that have already played in four games will be eligible to play in a bowl game and still preserve their redshirt. If a player plays in five games, he cannot redshirt that season.
Why is JMU not bowl eligible? ›
The Dukes went 11-1 in 2023, but were ineligible for postseason play due to the NCAA transition rule that has teams transferring levels ineligible for the first two seasons at their new level. Given that James Madison is in year two of its FCS-to-FBS transition, this impacted the program's eligibility.
Can redshirt freshman play college football? ›
For those who choose to redshirt in their freshman year, competitive gameplay against other teams typically begins in their sophom*ore year, thereby extending their eligibility to play college sports for an additional year post-graduation.
Can redshirt players practice with the team? ›
What a "redshirt" season refers to is a year in which a student-athlete does not compete at all against outside competition. During a year in which the student-athlete does not compete, a student can practice with his or her team and receive financial aid.
What is the NCAA redshirt rule? ›
A redshirt season or redshirt year is when a college athlete elects to not compete in games against other teams. Although they cannot participate in outside competition during this time, the student-athlete can still: Practice with the team. Receive athletic scholarships or financial aid. Attend classes.
Can you play 4 games and still redshirt? ›
They're academically a sophom*ore, but athletically a freshman since their sophom*ore year is their first year of athletic participation. However, in Division I football, redshirt freshmen can compete in up to four games against other schools and keep their redshirt status.
What is a NCAA hardship waiver? ›
A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of competition by the conference or the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet for reasons of "hardship." Hardship is defined as an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness that has occurred under all of the following conditions: [14.2.
In very general terms, to qualify for a Medical Hardship Waiver, an athlete can't participate in more than 30% of the number of games or “dates of competition” in their regular season and can't appear in a game after the midpoint of their season.
How many games do you have to lose to get redshirt? ›
Terminology. The term redshirt freshman indicates an athlete who will play in fewer than four games their freshman year. The following year they will be a redshirt sophom*ore all the way until their fifth year of eligibility, in which case they will be referred to as a fifth year senior.
How do you qualify for a medical redshirt NCAA? ›
According to the NCAA rules, in order to be granted a medical redshirt, the athlete must:
- Suffer an injury that is deemed “season-ending”
- Their injury must occur before the halfway point of the season.
- Not participate in more than 30% of the season's games.
HOUSTON – Texas A&M and #20 ranked Oklahoma State have accepted bids to play in the 2023 TaxAct Texas Bowl, the bowl organizing committee announced today. The 2023 TaxAct Texas Bowl will be played at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Is Auburn still bowl eligible? ›
The Aggies are bowl eligible for a second straight season, something they haven't done since the 1959-60 seasons. Both offenses are largely powered by running games and have mobile quarterbacks.
Why is Army not bowl eligible? ›
The Black Knights aren't bowl-eligible despite reaching the six-win threshold, as two of its wins came against FCS teams (Delaware State, Holy Cross). FBS schools can only count one win against FCS teams toward bowl eligibility.
Can you play during a redshirt season? ›
Redshirted athletes still engage in daily workouts, practices, and film sessions, just like their playing counterparts. “The only thing redshirting means is you can't play in the games, and due to that, you get that extra year of eligibility,” Sokol clarifies.
How many innings can you play and still redshirt? ›
"Players must abstain completely from competition to preserve a season of eligibility during a redshirt year. Players who appear in even one inning of one baseball game will lose a season of eligibility, unless they later gain a hardship waiver for injury, illness, family crisis, natural disaster or other calamity."
Can you redshirt twice in college football? ›
The only way to get 2 redshirts is to apply to the NCAA for a medical hardship. This is generally only awarded to athletes that have multiple season ending injuries. As a college baseball player I took a medical redshirt after tearing up my elbow in the 3rd game of a season.
Do bowl games count towards season stats? ›
In 2002, the NCAA made the decision to start counting bowl game stats with the official records for regular season performance. The decision was made to make college football record-keeping consistent with how records are held for other NCAA sports, where postseason results are counted on top of regular season stats.
