Redshirt question

[FirstDownB]

So many unintended consequences as have been discussed regarding the new redshirt rules, such as upperclassmen playing, getting benched, not losing eligibility, and being able to transfer. I want to bring this a bit closer to home, as while at this point in time I don't see any Kelly Bryants on our roster, there may be other nuances in how the new rule affects roster management.

One question that immediately pops up is how and when are redshirts designated. Is it automatic or does it have to be officially designated? Let's say, for instance, there is a sophomore on the roster that was lightly recruited but brought in for depth at a position. Say this sophomore played a few snaps last year and plays in less than four games this year... is he automatically a redshirt sophomore next year? Or does the coach have to make a decision between giving him a redshirt year or advancing him to junior status? My understanding is that redshirting is entirely retroactive and does not come into any official significance until the player's fifth year. So, therefore, going into year 5 the coach can decide whether or not he wants to extend the scholarship (claim the redshirt year) or if the scholarship would be better utilized on another, likely more talented, recruit.

The reason for this question, besides trying to understand class and RS designations, is that there will be more guys than ever before now who are eligible for RS. A RS is suddenly pretty difficult to burn. And if a RS is automatic for anyone who plays in 4 or less games then you are de facto giving the bottom part of your roster an extra year on the team. And that is probably not what you want in all cases. A potentially uncomfortable situation that could have been circumvented easily in the past by giving guys a few token snaps in garbage time. Now, maybe a very different situation.

 

[nat100]

This is the reason scholarships are 4 years. If after 4 years a player still has one year of eligibility but the staff wants to move on from him, they can (and do). Truitt comes to mind. Didnt play much. Was on the team 4 years. Didnt return this year.

 

[FirstDownB]

This is the reason scholarships are 4 years. If after 4 years a player still has one year of eligibility but the staff wants to move on from him, they can (and do). Truitt comes to mind. Didnt play much. Was on the team 4 years. Didnt return this year.

Was he considered a true Senior or a RS Junior last year? I suppose the only difference now is there will be a lot more of those moving on or transferring.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Was he considered a true Senior or a RS Junior last year? I suppose the only difference now is there will be a lot more of those moving on or transferring.

My guess is there will be 4 to 6 guys leave the program outside of graduation as they haven't been able to get a sniff with the new staff or have been/will be over-recruited. Normal attrition of a quality/healthy program, imo.

 

[nat100]

Was he considered a true Senior or a RS Junior last year? I suppose the only difference now is there will be a lot more of those moving on or transferring.

He had the option to graduate and use the grad transfer rule. He still had 1 year of eligibility.

 

[FirstDownB]

He had the option to graduate and use the grad transfer rule. He still had 1 year of eligibility.

Back to the original question, is there any difference between a "true Senior" and a "RS Junior"? It seems like the only distinction between the two labels is how long the coach expects the player to remain on the roster. And I think that doesn't become official until after the 4th year. So, there might become a lot of guys who are thought of as RS juniors, perhaps listed that way on game programs and websites, who the coaches view as on their last year of scholarship (essentially seniors). And it would seem there are going to be a lot more of these guys with the new rule, since you basically have to be a regular contributor all four years to burn your RS year.

 

[nat100]

Back to the original question, is there any difference between a "true Senior" and a "RS Junior"? It seems like the only distinction between the two labels is how long the coach expects the player to remain on the roster. And I think that doesn't become official until after the 4th year. So, there might become a lot of guys who are thought of as RS juniors, perhaps listed that way on game programs and websites, who the coaches view as on their last year of scholarship (essentially seniors). And it would seem there are going to be a lot more of these guys with the new rule, since you basically have to be a regular contributor all four years to burn your RS year.

Youre interpretation is probably close to correct. I think coaches will determine after the players 4th year whether or not they will give them a schollie for another year.