In college sports, the term "redshirt" refers to a practice where a student-athlete delays or suspends their participation in official competition for a season while still maintaining their eligibility to compete for four full seasons over a longer academic period. This means the athlete does not compete in games against other teams during that year but can still practice with the team, receive athletic scholarships, attend classes, and train

Purpose of Redshirting

• To extend the athlete's eligibility period, allowing them to compete for four seasons over five academic years (or more in special cases).
• To help freshmen develop skills and adjust to college-level sports and academics without the pressure of immediate competition.
• To allow recovery from injury without losing a year of eligibility.
• To improve academic standing if needed

Origin of the Term

The term "redshirt" likely originated from Warren Alfson, a University of Nebraska athlete in 1937, who practiced with the team but did not play in games, wearing a red shirt without a number to distinguish himself during scrimmages. Since then, athletes who sit out a year to preserve eligibility have been called "redshirts"

Key Points

• Redshirting is not an official NCAA term but is widely used in NCAA Division I and II sports.
• A "redshirt freshman" is a student-athlete who sits out their true freshman year and then competes in their second academic year, making them an athletic freshman but an academic sophomore

• Redshirt athletes can "suit up" or wear the team uniform but are limited in the number of games they can play without losing the redshirt status

Summary

A redshirt year allows college athletes to extend their playing eligibility by sitting out a season of competition while still participating in team activities and academics, providing flexibility for development, injury recovery, or academic improvement

. Additional Note: Outside of college sports, "redshirt" can also refer to a minor expendable character in fiction, especially in TV or movies, but this is unrelated to the sports context