Four game redshirt rule making waves

Coach Bill Lewis · September 25, 2018

Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck called the change the “greatest rule the NCAA has ever put in in the last 20 years.”

It is proving popular with players, who get more opportunities to play — and, as it turns out, a little more autonomy.

“I just hadn’t really thought (about) that being a possibility until it happened,” Baylor coach Matt Rhule said of the midseason departures.

McCleskey is the most prominent player to take advantage of the newly created opportunity. He had 15 catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns through Oklahoma State’s first four games after having 73 receptions in 2016 and 50 in 2017.

“You lose a good player. But we live in a world where things like that happen now,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “Transfer’s becoming very popular, and what would keep a young man from doing that across the country at any given time? But if they come to you and say, ‘I’m not getting the ball enough and I feel like I need to be somewhere that allows that to happen,’ then you have to give them that opportunity.”

If McCleskey graduates before next season, he would be immediately eligible at his new school.

McCleskey’s situation isn’t unique.

Auburn already has had five players transfer since the start of the season. The list includes wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers, a junior who will still have two years of eligibility left, and tight end Jalen Harris, another junior who could be in position to graduate transfer.

“There’s a new day in college football with the rule and all that,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said on his radio show.

More transfers could be coming in the coming days as just about every team in the country will have played four games by next week.

Arkansas wide receiver Jonathan Nance, a former junior college transfer who led the Razorbacks in catches last season, tweeted Monday he will transfer and use this as a redshirt season. Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said Ducks running back Taj Griffin, who is in his fourth season, left the team and plans to transfer.

New redshirt policy makes it more tempting to transfer

Jason Howeth · September 25, 2018

3 hours ago, Coach Bill Lewis said:

Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck called the change the “greatest rule the NCAA has ever put in in the last 20 years.”

"ever... in the last 20 years."

Is it me, or does anybody else just wish people could think about the words they use before they use them?

meaniegreenie · September 25, 2018

Personally, I think it's a bad rule.

meanrob · September 25, 2018

There's two different aspects to the rule-

1) A kid can play four games without burning a red shirt. Looking at you Derek Thompson (or Dodge more specifically). I like this part of the rule.

2) As far as the transfer part, things will settle down after a year or two. I think the rule affects the P5s way more than us. If you're a hot shot five star recruit who isn't getting playing time, maybe you bolt. If you are a three star recruit who can't get on the field, it's not like a plethora of schools will be an option for you.

The only thing I don't like is the kids quitting in the middle of the season. If you're going to transfer, do it in the offseason.

Cr1028 · September 25, 2018

24 minutes ago, meanrob said:

1) A kid can play four games without burning a red shirt. Looking at you Derek Thompson (or Dodge more specifically).

It ended up not making any difference.

RiseUNT · September 25, 2018

Until coaches can't just bolt for a different position the kids can do whatever the hell they want. Quit, leave, or just go through the motions.

If a bunch of people were making money off of my talent then I would do what's best for me.

greenminer · September 25, 2018

2 hours ago, Jason Howeth said:

"ever... in the last 20 years."

Is it me, or does anybody else just wish people could think about the words they use before they use them?

Rhetoric is the most powerful weapon our civilization has ever wielded.

Censored by Laurie · September 25, 2018

45 minutes ago, greenminer said:

Rhetoric is the most powerful weapon our civilization has ever wielded.

at least in the last half-century, that is

El Paso Eagle · September 25, 2018

4 hours ago, RiseUNT said:

Until coaches can't just bolt for a different position the kids can do whatever the hell they want. Quit, leave, or just go through the motions.

If a bunch of people were making money off of my talent then I would do what's best for me.

1

Many of those same coaches can be fired at any minute ....

I understand schools making money off of some kids/sports, but it seems like everyone wants to discount the paid scholarships and the extra benefits that come with it.

UNTLifer · September 27, 2018

On 9/25/2018 at 2:29 PM, RiseUNT said:

Until coaches can't just bolt for a different position the kids can do whatever the hell they want. Quit, leave, or just go through the motions.

If a bunch of people were making money off of my talent then I would do what's best for me.

Not a fan of the quitting on your team in the middle of the season. I don't think I remember a coach doing that, well, other than June Jones, but that was our fault.

GreenN'walinsVet · September 27, 2018

4 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Not a fan of the quitting on your team in the middle of the season. I don't think I remember a coach doing that, well, other than June Jones, but that was our fault.

Bobby Petrino says Hi

UNTLifer · September 27, 2018

1 minute ago, GreenN'walinsVet said:

Bobby Petrino says Hi

Got me there.

RiseUNT · September 27, 2018

7 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Not a fan of the quitting on your team in the middle of the season. I don't think I remember a coach doing that, well, other than June Jones, but that was our fault.

What about before bowl games?

DentonLurker · September 27, 2018

On 9/25/2018 at 6:35 PM, El Paso Eagle said:

Many of those same coaches can be fired at any minute ....

The difference there is that they have a contract that says they get paid.

outoftown · September 27, 2018

I think one can debate whether this is good for the players. It may make things more even between coaches and players, but I guess I am among those who are not buying the poor players argument in the first place.

But what is clear to me, is that players quitting their team in the middle of the season is bad for the sport. Why should I care about watching a team play early against a no-name FCS, if the players on the team 3 weeks later are not the same players anymore? For hardcore fans there may be an answer to this (cause I love my school and care about football very much), but for everyone else, this is yet another deterrent for not showing up to tune-up games that do not seem very meaningful.

I take it, however, that coaches will start reacting. Swinney at Clemson, for example, could have postponed his decision one more game, and then he'd be in the clear. Not nice, but would be logical. Also, I think in the long run, the rule will lead to more redshirts in general, making fewer players eligible to get this anyway by the time they are seniors.

Until last season, when you were strongly dinged up after game 3 or so, there was no point in not sticking it out as it didn't give you back the season. Now, if you feel like you are only at 85% with something that will take 2 months to really heal, you are much more likely to take the redshirt, heal up and come back the next season. That latter part is a good development. That is apart from playing freshmen some AND redshirting them (It will take till the end of the season until we will really know how many more freshmen and sophomore players got a redshirt that might otherwise have been burnt). I could imagine that in the future when they are seniors, 60% of players will already have had a redshirt. maybe even more.

I think the answer is a rule addendum to the present one: you can't grad transfer following a redshirt where you played in. Wouldn't affect any other transfers or any other of the benefits this gives.

Edited September 27, 2018 by outoftown