Local coaches chime in on the redshirt rule

Nicholls volleyball continues to build
August 15, 2018
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August 15, 2018
Nicholls volleyball continues to build
August 15, 2018
LaTour back open for business
August 15, 2018

Big change is coming to college football as it pertains to its redshirt rule.


And both Nicholls State University coach Tim Rebowe and LSU coach Ed Orgeron believe that the change will be great for the game of college football.

The NCAA drastically altered its stance on redshirts this offseason, ruling that players may now play in up to four games in a season, while still maintaining the right to be redshirted for that year.

A “redshirt” is an NCAA term which applies to eligibility for a student-athlete. When players sign their National Letters of Intent, an internal clock starts and they are allowed five years to play four seasons with the understanding that one of those years may be a “redshirt” — a year which doesn’t count toward the player’s eligibility.


In years past, players couldn’t play at all in their redshirt year with special exceptions only being made in the case of early-season injury. Now, guys are allowed four games of work, which means we will likely see far more young players, especially in early-season games — a luxury that coaches think is healthy for the sport.

“Coaches are going to use it, of course,” Rebowe said. “But I think it will be good for the student-athlete. I think it’s a good thing for our sport.”

The new rule could have big implications for both local teams of rooting interest this fall.


For LSU, the quarterback position is everyone’s focus and the new rule could be a factor in Orgeron’s decision.

Orgeron has said multiple times that the Tigers are having an open competition at quarterback with four players — juniors Justin McMillan and Joe Burrow, sophomore Myles Brennan and freshman Lowell Narcisse — all vying for time.

The new redshirt rules will not apply to McMillan, Burrow or Narcisse. They have all used their redshirt in their careers.


But for Brennan, the situation becomes a little more interesting.

Last year, Brennan was LSU’s primary backup quarterback, so the Tigers opted not to redshirt him, instead giving him late-game work and a little bit of duty in competitive action in the event that he would ever be needed to start.

Brennan threw passes in six games last year, which would have made him ineligible for a redshirt given the new structure of the rule.


But in three of those outings, he entered in non-competitive situations, mostly just to handoff the ball and salt the clock. Eliminate those three outings and Brennan would have played in three games and could have remained eligible for a redshirt, which would have kept him as a freshman this year.

It is possible that Brennan could again be LSU’s primary backup — likely to Burrow — and the Tigers could still try and redshirt him and return him as a sophomore in 2019.

If Burrow plays well and stays healthy, the plan works to perfection. Brennan has four games where he can play mop-up duty and/or spell Burrow if he temporarily gets knocked out of a game with injury.


If Burrow struggles, then the Tigers could obviously alter their plans and put him on the field sooner.

But having options could play to the team’s advantage in the future.

“It gives us more flexibility,” Orgeron said at SEC Media Day.


But while Brennan is a sophomore, he is a special case of how the rule may be applied. Most of the players who will benefit from this are true freshmen arriving at college programs out of high school.

Both Rebowe and Orgeron said that how they manage their freshman players will change with the implementation of the rule.

Knowing that younger players can play in up to four games will build depth to special teams units and will allow coaches to use live game action to see who is physically ready for the grind of college football.


Rebowe said he’s curious to see how other teams use the change advantageously. At Southland Conference Media Day, he said some teams may work their freshmen in shifts — some early in the year and others scattered throughout the season.

He said it will make it easier for teams to recover from short-term injuries, knowing that a talented young player, who would have been redshirted in previous years, can now be plugged in and play.

“It’s going to help if you have a guy who’s doing some good things on a scout team, getting better week in and week out and all of a sudden, you have an injury at that position,” Rebowe said. “That guy can step up and play for you.”


Orgeron mirrored Rebowe’s thoughts and gave a little bit of a clue as to the Tigers’ plans.

He said LSU signs a lot of world-class players — guys who are ready to play physically as soon as they walk on campus.

But a lot of those guys have a culture shock early in the season, which keeps them off the field.


But by late-October or November? They’ve got it and can be huge assets in the final handful of games in the year.

“A lot of guys are not ready to play very early,” Orgeron said. “All of a sudden, you get a couple injuries and then toward the end of the season, those guys get bigger and stronger, they get in better shape, they learn the system and then you can play them.”

Ed OrgeronJOSE DELGADO | THE TIMES


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