As signing day beckons, redshirt year should be strongly considered

The hype of National Letter of Intent Day for college football recruits is upon us. Oh Joy!

On Wednesday, high school football seniors around the country will make their choices
official on National Signing Day.

I cannot help but be cynical because recruiting hype leading up to this day defies logic.
OK, I sound like “old man yelling at cloud” but I digress. While I’m wish the youngsters
well in their journey, especially those coming to my alma mater (University of Nebraska),
I think the hype has gotten too nauseating for someone that has yet to play a second of
college athletics. I can only blame the youngsters to a point. After all, this hype sells and
the monster gets fed. I’m a crotchety 45-year old about this subject but I guess I have to
live with these times.

The outcome I’m always interested in seeing play out is does the youngster play right away
or does he redshirt?

Redshirt a term used in college athletics, including football, which describes a student-athlete
that is able to practice with a team and attend classes while not using one of their four years
of athletic eligibility. Translation, they lead the life of a student-athlete in terms of academics
and participating in practices but they do not play in games. There are other reasons, such as
medical issues, for a player to skip an entire year of competition.

I’ve heard a couple different theories over the years -- 1) Eliminate redshirts and allow five
years of eligibility or 2) Eliminate freshman eligibility and make them automatic redshirts.
I don’t think either should be a mandated rule but if given the choice I lean toward the latter.
In football, redshirting makes a ton of sense but in basketball or baseball that rule would not
wash because you have 18 year olds in the NBA and getting drafted by Major League
Baseball teams. In football, however, I say “well and good” because even the best high school
running back would get obliterated by the likes of Ray Lewis. Even the college version as
opposed to the NFL Hall-of-Famer.

From an academic standpoint alone, life would be much easier on the athlete if they knew all
that was expected that redshirt year was hitting the books and the weight room. I also think
too many coaches want to see a quick return on their investment. Youngsters and parents
pressuring the coach for immediate playing time does not help either. I think mandating
automatic redshirts would weed out kids who are just on campus to play sports and see
education as a nuisance. It might also de-emphasize a youngster basing immediate playing
time on his school of choice.

While I believe most college student-athletes are as diligent in the classroom as they are on
the field, I think we’ve lost sight of the notion that athletics and academics work in concert
and it might be time to see if we can’t get that back. I am fully aware of those that only go
to college to play sports but the vast majority are there for an education as well. The same
vast majority that will never play in the NFL or the NBA, or even MLB.

There is a lot to be said for starting off well academically because if a youngster starts out
by barely passing his classes, it’s an uphill climb all the way.

Plus it would contain the effect of those parents who think their kid should only go to a
school who promises to start them their first year. Who knows, maybe coaches would be
less inclined to dangle that “you'll start your first year" promise.

The current NCAA rules state that an eligible athlete has five years to complete four seasons.
Therefore, student-athletes may practice for a team but not play in a game for one season, not
counting against his or her four seasons of eligibility. This is known as a redshirt. Fans don’t
see their contributions in that they do not happen on game day but the redshirt season is a
valuable year in a system in that it provides shelter against some of the harsh realities of
jumping to a new level of football.

There are numerous reasons to redshirt freshmen. For starters, the college game moves a hell
of a lot faster than high school, which means decisions have to be made faster. Therefore, the
extra season working against starters in practice is a benefit.

Also, highly touted high school studs were often the stars of their team and their league. They
were exponentially better than their high school peers. In college, everyone is at least as good
if not better. That extra year of conditioning will give the youngster a better chance to handle
the rigors of a 12-14 game college schedule.

The verbiage of a playbook (especially on offense) is also far greater in college than in high
school as is the intricacy of reading the opposition. Some of that pressure can be alleviated
during a redshirt season.

Then there is the whole matter of adjusting from high school to college away from the field.
For some of these youngsters, it’s their first time away from home. All of the sudden cooking,
cleaning, doing laundry and partying are a juggling act. Throw that in with trying to balance
academics with athletics.

The best talent on the field is tough to overcome. The development of a successful program,
however, is not about talent alone but it is about the development of an overall player and his
maturity to handle the pressures and demands of being a great college football player.

I am of the opinion that the star system only matters in high school and freshman year. I will
take a three star senior with four years of good coaching over a five-star freshman that demands
early playing time with huge expectations and not much else any day.