What is the College Class System and redshirting?
Anyone new to College Football may wonder what terms like “freshman”, “junior”, or “senior” mean. The terms relate to the US College/University class system and are a reminder of the “college” in college football. They are important when assessing players and where they are on their football journey. Alongside these terms sits the principle of “redshirting”. But what is the college class system and redshirting? In this article I will break it down.
Academic Class Status – the 4 years of University Life
I explained a few months ago in an article how studies weave into the athletic side of college football. American universities typically structure undergraduate education into four years, each with its own title: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. These terms can help define a student’s academic progress but also their social standing on campus.
The four years are sometimes described in two terms; Underclassman (freshman and sophomores) and Upperclassman (juniors and seniors).
Freshman Year
The first year of university is known as the “freshman” year. Freshman are often entering college directly after finishing high school at 18 or 19 years old. This term will be the most common for UK fans who went to university (think “Freshers Week”). Academically, freshmen focus on foundational courses in general education “Gen Ed”. Freshman, being new on campus, will be getting used to their environment, making friends, and establishing routines.
If we translate that to a college football team, a freshman will not only be getting used to his new environment, potentially away from his family for the first time, but also getting used to a new locker room, team and scheme.
Sophomore Year
The second year is called “sophomore” year. Sophomores have typically acclimatised to the pace of university life and passed enough classes to earn credits to move from freshman to sophomore. This is different to the UK where you normally have to pass year-end exams to move forwards. They normally declare a subject to “major” in at this point and take more specialist courses. Sophomores should be more settled having made friends and found their place within clubs and sports.
For college football players, after a year of settling in they will be looking to step up to the plate and play a more meaningful role for their team.
Junior Year
The “Junior” year is the third year of university. At this stage, students are deeply engaged in their major coursework and may be taking on leadership roles in campus organizations. Juniors are often balancing heavier academic loads and considering the next steps after graduation, including graduate school or entering the workforce.
For a Junior college football player, they should be well established and developing a deeper understanding of their position. Assuming they haven’t missed playing time with injury, they might be looking for a good season to enter the NFL draft, if that is in their plans.
Senior Year
The final year of university undergraduate study is the “senior” year. Seniors are focused on completing the requirements for their degrees and planning for life beyond college. This may include job searching, applying to graduate programs, or planning for post-graduate life.
For a senior college football athlete, by now you are likely a leader in the locker room. Those players planning to enter the draft will likely do so after this year.
What is Redshirting in College Football?
Under NCAA rules, an athlete can take 5 years to complete 4 sports seasons. There is some flexibility in that a player can play in up to 4 games in a season and not use up eligibility. The mechanism to preserve eligibility is called redshirting.
Embed from Getty ImagesRedshirting is a practice in college football whereby a student athlete delays their participation in competitive games for a year. During this redshirt year, athletes can train and practice with the team but are not allowed to play in official games that would count towards their four years of NCAA eligibility.
Why Do Student Athletes Redshirt?
There are several reasons why an athlete might choose to redshirt. These include:
- Allowing time for a player to develop either mentally or physically.
- Allowing time for a player to develop within a scheme and for a senior player in his position to move on.
- Allowing time for a player to recover from injury (a “medical redshirt”).
Redshirting provides a valuable mechanism for some student athletes to prepare for the pace of high-level college football. It can lead to greater long-term success and an extended playing career, especially in the case of injuries.
Redshirting in Practice
As a fan this is all relevant to you when you start assessing players’ experience. You may look to his class status to see how long he has been around.
But as the above demonstrates, a college football player labelled a junior, might not have been at the university for exactly three years.
If a player takes a redshirt year then his class for sporting purposes might be different. For example, South Carolina Gamecock’s QB LaNorris Sellers joined South Carolina from High School in 2023. His role in 2023 was as a freshman backup and he played 3 games, redshirting the year. 2024 was his first year as a starter and 2025 will be his second. For football purposes, will be a Redshirt Sophomore.
Embed from Getty Images| Season | Academic Status | Football Status | Eligibility Used |
| 2023 | Freshman | Redshirt | No – only played 3 times |
| 2024 | Sophomore | Redshirt Freshman | Yes 1st year used |
| 2025 | Junior | Redshirt Sophomore | Hopefully Yes, a full year! |
In theory if Sellers had a season-ended injury early enough in the season, he could receive a medical redshirt and preserve another year of eligibility. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen!
Assessing Draft Prospects
The above is useful when considering that student athletes go through such a development arc during their time at college. I can’t fathom what it must be like to be in my late teens and performing in the environments that they do. So when you see a true freshman or a sophomore mentioned on TV, you will understand where he might be in his development.
Understanding the four class years is a useful tool when thinking about players transitioning to the NFL and preparing for the draft. It can give us clues to their levels of experience and maturity – important aspects for what could come next for some in the NFL draft.
