College Football Coaches Recommend Redshirt Rule Change: Players Could Play Nine Games While Retaining Eligibility
College football head coaches unanimously recommended allowing players to play nine games while retaining their eligibility for a redshirt season. Currently, players can redshirt if they play four or fewer regular-season games without losing a year of eligibility. The recommendation, made after a meeting of around 60 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches in Charlotte, is not an official NCAA proposal but will be presented to NCAA committees for consideration.
Notable coaches like Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, and Virginia Tech’s James Franklin attended the meeting, along with coaches from various conferences. There was hope that the meeting would result in a recommendation for players to have five years to play five seasons of college football, eliminating redshirts and waivers. However, no such agreement was reached during the meeting.
The NCAA has stated that current eligibility rules will remain in place until the end of the 2026-27 academic year. Some players have opted out of games to preserve their redshirt status and eligibility. For example, Colorado freshman quarterback Julian Lewis sat out a game to retain his redshirt and be eligible as a redshirt freshman for the 2026 season.
Players currently have four years of eligibility, but some have extended their college careers to five, six, or even seven years due to redshirt seasons, medical waivers, and the additional year of eligibility granted for the 2020 season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA's eligibility rules have been the subject of legal challenges, with players like Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia earning a sixth year of eligibility through a court injunction.
Several players, including Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, are seeking similar rulings from federal judges regarding their eligibility. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is pursuing a waiver for an additional year of eligibility based on his lack of participation in a season while at Division II Ferris State.
In conclusion, college football head coaches have recommended allowing players to play nine games while retaining their eligibility for a redshirt season. The proposal will be considered by NCAA committees, but no changes to eligibility rules are expected until the end of the 2026-27 academic year.