I've seen a few comments lately on greyshirting, and given the momentum Alabama has, this will likely be an issue in the next few days. One thing I can not figure out, is why the practice is demonized so much. As I understand it, this practice doesn't even have a negative impact on three and done players, since the three years apply to leaving high school, not going to college. So, why is this practice demonized at all? It has virtually no negative consequences, and many positives.
This is all in the landscape of the NCAA, and college football. You can only provide 25 new scholarships a year, and in the SEC you can only sign 25 players at all. This puts a premium on each slot, and in turn you are expected to honor your scholarship offers. Yet, athletes are fickle, so you end up with this insane proposition that you have 25 slots, you must keep your word, but you have no way of knowing who will say yes or no. Greyshirting is usually used as a last resort to resolve this issue, and Nick Saban was demonized for offering a greyshirt last year. However, I think greyshirts should be used more often and offer a multitude of positives for the athlete.
The term greyshirt is not a formal term, and it allows for a lot of confusion when it comes to what it actually means. In that regard, if anything I say is not accurate I welcome clarification. A common definition I saw seems to be entirely inaccurate with how Alabama would use it, in that it states a greyshirt is someone that signs an LOI and then enrolls in school and pays their own way for a year. With the SEC signing limit, a "greyshirt" at Alabama would be unlikely to sign an LOI, and in addition to that as I understand it, if an athlete enrolls full time at a school, their eligibility clock starts. This would defeat a lot of the purpose of greyshirting. An athlete can take some classes, but that's not necessary at all in order to greyshirt. I think this confusion makes it easier to demonize the practice, as people imagine it as forcing a player to pay their own way through school.
So, what are the benefits?
6 years to play 4: This buys extra time for a college athlete. If you are striving towards an NFL career, the additional time can make a big difference.
Early enrollee: Delaying enrollment does not require waiting a full year, it merely requires waiting until January to enroll. This not only allows the athlete to participate in spring practice, but it also allows them additional time in the classroom, putting them closer to graduating or an advanced degree. In this regard, they gain even more time, as enrolling a few months earlier would have cost them a full year of eligibility/athletic scholarship.
Time to heal: Greyshirting is particularly useful if a player is recovering from an injury. If they are not able to perform football activities, why on earth would they want to start their eligibility clock?
Time to develop: Some positions are much more demanding than others. Mental and physical development can be key. Giving the athlete this additional time could be the difference between a pro career or not, and could greatly affect their impact as a college football player.
Some time off: They are heading into a college career, which could turn into a pro career. It's hard for me to grasp why the prospect of a break after high school should be such a bad thing.
After thinking this through, I'm puzzled why it is not used more often. In truth, I think college coaches are hesitant to offer it because if more people realized all the advantages, they might have trouble getting potential instant contributors on campus. Imagine if Amari Cooper for example decided he wanted the time off and greyshirted? So, I suppose coaches are not too hasty to point out the advantages either, since they need a vast majority of their recruits on the football field ASAP. However, I will remain puzzled when someone says "____ wouldn't take a greyshirt offer". Really? They're in a hurry for their eligibility to run out? The only players that should even consider balking at this offer would be three and done players that know they would play right away (in which case why greyshirt them?). Even players that wouldn't redshirt have very little to complain about, and should they decide to transfer, having that redshirt year available would come in handy.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share my thoughts in this issue, since the public perception seems to be rather ill informed.
This is all in the landscape of the NCAA, and college football. You can only provide 25 new scholarships a year, and in the SEC you can only sign 25 players at all. This puts a premium on each slot, and in turn you are expected to honor your scholarship offers. Yet, athletes are fickle, so you end up with this insane proposition that you have 25 slots, you must keep your word, but you have no way of knowing who will say yes or no. Greyshirting is usually used as a last resort to resolve this issue, and Nick Saban was demonized for offering a greyshirt last year. However, I think greyshirts should be used more often and offer a multitude of positives for the athlete.
The term greyshirt is not a formal term, and it allows for a lot of confusion when it comes to what it actually means. In that regard, if anything I say is not accurate I welcome clarification. A common definition I saw seems to be entirely inaccurate with how Alabama would use it, in that it states a greyshirt is someone that signs an LOI and then enrolls in school and pays their own way for a year. With the SEC signing limit, a "greyshirt" at Alabama would be unlikely to sign an LOI, and in addition to that as I understand it, if an athlete enrolls full time at a school, their eligibility clock starts. This would defeat a lot of the purpose of greyshirting. An athlete can take some classes, but that's not necessary at all in order to greyshirt. I think this confusion makes it easier to demonize the practice, as people imagine it as forcing a player to pay their own way through school.
So, what are the benefits?
6 years to play 4: This buys extra time for a college athlete. If you are striving towards an NFL career, the additional time can make a big difference.
Early enrollee: Delaying enrollment does not require waiting a full year, it merely requires waiting until January to enroll. This not only allows the athlete to participate in spring practice, but it also allows them additional time in the classroom, putting them closer to graduating or an advanced degree. In this regard, they gain even more time, as enrolling a few months earlier would have cost them a full year of eligibility/athletic scholarship.
Time to heal: Greyshirting is particularly useful if a player is recovering from an injury. If they are not able to perform football activities, why on earth would they want to start their eligibility clock?
Time to develop: Some positions are much more demanding than others. Mental and physical development can be key. Giving the athlete this additional time could be the difference between a pro career or not, and could greatly affect their impact as a college football player.
Some time off: They are heading into a college career, which could turn into a pro career. It's hard for me to grasp why the prospect of a break after high school should be such a bad thing.
After thinking this through, I'm puzzled why it is not used more often. In truth, I think college coaches are hesitant to offer it because if more people realized all the advantages, they might have trouble getting potential instant contributors on campus. Imagine if Amari Cooper for example decided he wanted the time off and greyshirted? So, I suppose coaches are not too hasty to point out the advantages either, since they need a vast majority of their recruits on the football field ASAP. However, I will remain puzzled when someone says "____ wouldn't take a greyshirt offer". Really? They're in a hurry for their eligibility to run out? The only players that should even consider balking at this offer would be three and done players that know they would play right away (in which case why greyshirt them?). Even players that wouldn't redshirt have very little to complain about, and should they decide to transfer, having that redshirt year available would come in handy.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share my thoughts in this issue, since the public perception seems to be rather ill informed.
