Sports

The New Redshirt Rule Is Starting To Backfire. Coaches Are Not Happy

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William Davis Contributor
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The new redshirt rule has been in effect for just one season, but it is already changing college football.

When the NCAA announced a new rule allowing players to play up to four games while keeping their redshirt season in-tact, it was seen as a godsend for coaches who then had the opportunity to use and develop talented young players without using up a year of their eligibility. But, now the Tide has turned on this issue and it is not working out as coaches anticipated.

The most prominent example of this new redshirt rule changing the sport came last week when star Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, who led the Tigers to an ACC championship and the college football just a year ago, announced he was leaving the program after four games to preserve his final year of eligibility.

The change came just days after freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence was named the full-time starter. (RELATED: One Of The Best College Quarterbacks In America Might Be Transferring. Can His Team Recover?)

This was a surreal moment that came just two weeks after Bryant was the hero in a 28–26 win over Texas A&M in College Station, in a year that now won’t even count towards his eligibility. This is the shocking new reality of college football.

 

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While Bryant’s transfer sent shock-waves that reverberated throughout the college football world, he is not the only example of this rule.

Auburn tight end Jalen Harris and wide receiver Nate Craig-Meyers, both talented pieces in Gus Malzahn’s offense announced that they were leaving the program before the fourth game of the Tigers season.

Many have also speculated that Alabama quarterback  Jalen Hurts could leave the program in order to preserve a year of eligibility, but that seems unlikely now, and this season will officially count towards Hurts’ career if he plays one more snap.

The bottom line is that it is still far too early to render a verdict on the new redshirt rule, but the early returns are not pleasant for coaches. And one has to wonder if this will create de-facto free agency before the fourth and fifth’s weeks of the season, and what that will mean for the sport.