What is a "red-shirt" in college sports?

They take a year off. You can only play 4 seasons in college. But you can be enrolled for 5 because they can red-shirt you one year.
 
Under college rules, you have 5 years to play your 4 years elligibility. Since freshmen are younger and less experience, most programs will "red-shirt" a freshman if he does not play. If the player plays during the season, he cannot be "re-shirted" and is then referred to as a true freshman and it counts towards his 4 years of elligibility. Should a player who has not used a "red-shirt" year and gets ingured causing him to miss a full season, it is possible to count that year as a "red-shiort" year.
 
What a player is injured, or just the team chooses to give him the "red-shirt" as is common for freshman, they actually wear a red shirt for practice. They can't play in the games but can practice with the team. This preserves their year of eligibility. They can only use it once, but can apply for exemptions and be able to play extra years, but that usually only happens in a case where a player loses most of a season, or two, from eligibility.
 
They red-shirt players to increase their eligability of playing sports

Example: They will red shirt a freshman in college, so when he is a sophomore, he will still be considered a freshman in sports.
 
They red-shirt players to increase their eligability of playing sports

Example: They will red shirt a freshman in college, so when he is a sophomore, he will still be considered a freshman in sports.
 
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