NCAA rules postseason contests no longer count against four-game max for redshirt eligibility

A blanket waiver will exempt postseason games from counting towards redshirt eligibility, the NCAA Division I Oversight Committee announced Tuesday. The new rule, which goes into effect immediately for the 2024 seson still limits redshirting players to four games but will not count conference championship, bowl and College Football Playoff contests toward that number.

Among the biggest reasons for the change are the transfer windows that were implemented during the 2023-24 cycle and opt-outs for the NFL Draft. Florida State, for example, lost more than two dozen players between opt-outs for the NFL Draft and transfer portal during the Orange Bowl after missing the CFP last season. Under these new rules, Florida State redshirts could participate in the bowl game without penalty.

With the new 12-team CFP going into effect this year, teams have the potential to play in up to five postseason contests. That would mean that a player could participate in potentially nine games during a 17-game season without exhausting a year of eligibility.

Until 2018 college football players were not allowed to participate in any games as a redshirt player. However, the Division I Council ultimately amended this rule to allow four appearances. Programs have been selective in the past when it comes to utilizing these games. For example, Texas quarterback Arch Manning did not appear -- even as a backup -- until Nov. 24, 2023, against Texas Tech, when Texas reached a point where it could only conceivably play four more games.

The shift allows teams to be more aggressive in how they use their redshirt players during the season, especially in nonconference play. If an injury happens late in the year, staffs can rest easy knowing that a potential CFP run would not damage eligibility planning.