These are common questions we get from families and prospective recruits. Often a coach will tell a recruit that they will redshirt their freshman year and it is actually very common and nothing to worry about especially in large Division I programs.
Redshirt Definition:
The term “redshirt” is used to describe a student-athlete who does not participate in competition in a sport for an entire academic year. If you do not compete in a sport the entire academic year, you have not used a season of competition. For example, if you are a qualifier, and you attend a four-year college your freshman year, and you practice but do not compete against outside competition, you would still have the next four years to play four seasons of competition.
Each student is allowed no more than four seasons of competition per sport. If you were not a qualifier, you may have fewer seasons of competition available to you. You should know that NCAA rules indicate that any competition, regardless of time, during a season counts as one of your seasons of competition in that sport. It does not matter how long you were involved in a particular competition (for example, one play in a football game, one point in a volleyball match); you will be charged with one season of competition. Source NCAA
This redshirt year gives you a year to acclimate yourself to college academics, sports and a year to learn the system and grow physically and mentally. The main benefit is you don’t have to lose a year of eligibility while sitting on the sidelines. Athletic scholarships still cover athletes who redshirt their first year on the team.
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