High school football players who want to play in college are often faced with unfamiliar terms when they get involved in the college football recruiting process. In particular, you’ll often hear of “red shirt” as well as “gray shirt” and “green shirt,” terms that refer to the player development and recruiting strategies used by many colleges to recruit football players.

NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules allow a college football player to complete five years to complete his four seasons of eligibility. That fifth year in which the player does not compete on the field, although he practices and receives his scholarship like any other soccer scholarship player, is called the red jersey year. New recruits typically redshirt their freshman year because they tend to need more time to develop as college players who can contribute to team success. A freshman who plays in games during his freshman year on campus (doesn’t have a redshirt) will have only three extra years to play, but a freshman who doesn’t play in games during his freshman year in college ( is in the red jersey) will still have four more years of eligibility to play after that first year.

A high school player receives a green jersey or is “green shirt” when he graduates early from high school and thus forfeits his spring semester there in order to enroll in college during that semester. Almost unknown until recent years, the green jersey allows high school players to participate in spring practice with their varsity team, develop their soccer skills and understand the team’s system during the spring and summer, and possibly begin play in games the following fall. This system gives the player and varsity team an early start in preparing to play college football, but comes at the cost of leaving high school early, which may or may not be the best long-term strategy for a student. .

A player receives a gray jersey or is “gray shirt” when he signs a letter of intent on signing day in February, but does not enter college full-time until the following spring instead of the following fall. He doesn’t receive a scholarship, practice with the team or take college courses full-time until he enrolls in the spring. Grayshirting a player allows a college to sign a player, but delays his play in games for another year. In effect, the gray shirt gives the player another year of practice before playing, since the NCAA-mandated five-year period of eligibility does not begin until the student enrolls full-time. College programs that have already been awarded close to the maximum number allowed under NCAA rules are being forced to sign a small recruiting class, and they are more interested in players who are willing to grayshirt.

The increasing use of these strategies is another indicator of the continuous changes in soccer recruitment in recent years. High school players, coaches, parents and others should be aware of them and the options each offers for a football recruit.