Gray Shirting

[Jack of all Trades]

Can someone please explain to me what exactly it means to gray shirt? The little I know is that rather than attending school in the fall, you are supposed to start attending in the spring? So what do you do for the fall semester?

[TAC]

Grey shirting is a recruiting term that is not as commonly used as the term redshirting. A grey shirt is an incoming college freshman who postpones his enrollment in classes until the second term of his freshman year. This means they don’t take classes until the winter term. The NCAA allows college athletes five years to complete four years of eligibility after initial enrollment.

 

When a grayshirt puts off his enrollment, he’s extending his eligibility past his senior year for another term. Grayshirting is most commonly used in football. By delaying enrollment until the winter after his senior year of high school, a football player can play the fall season one year after his graduation date.

 

However, in redshirting, an athlete is enrolled in classes and practicing with the team, but not competing in games. By postponing their participation in games, they extend their eligibility into a fifth year of school. They are allowed to practice and train, but don’t compete in games so they don’t lose a year of eligibility. Redshirting is also used when an athlete gets injured and won’t be back for the season.

[Jack of all Trades]

So what would be the purpose of grey shirting versus just redshirting? Seems like telling a kid to take 6 months off academically is not the best thing.

[John Anthony]

So what would be the purpose of grey shirting versus just redshirting? Seems like telling a kid to take 6 months off academically is not the best thing.

 

Numbers. If a school has too many kids and not enough space they ask them to grey shirt which holds a roster spot for 6 months later. Basically they are being pushed back but can still come if they accept.

[Jim Schue]

Numbers. If a school has too many kids and not enough space they ask them to grey shirt which holds a roster spot for 6 months later. Basically they are being pushed back but can still come if they accept.

 

The hope being that they will spend that off time getting in the best physical condition of their lives, adding on several pounds of muscle.

[Clyde]

Gray shirting is used when the scholly limits are tight. A kid doing this does not count against the incoming class count nor the overall count for that season.

 

They are not a scholarship athlete that fall.

[That One Guy]

Another use for the gray shirt, which is rare, but still used for this reason as well is if the recruit has some legal or academic issues that need to be taken care of before they get on campus.

[coldweatherfan]

If a kid graduates high school early and enrolls in the spring, is that considered to be a grey shirt?

[rjs4470]

If a kid graduates high school early and enrolls in the spring, is that considered to be a grey shirt?

 

No... I've heard the term "Green Shirting" used when a high school senior enrolls early. "Green" meaning go.

[Clyde]

If a kid graduates high school early and enrolls in the spring' date=' is that considered to be a grey shirt?[/quote']

 

No.

[John Anthony]

If a kid graduates high school early and enrolls in the spring' date=' is that considered to be a grey shirt?[/quote']

 

Grey shirting is the opposite being pushed back on the calendar. Kids who graduate early, come to college early to try to gain spring reps. The rest of their class arrives in mid summer.