FBS coaches vote unanimously to adjust sport's redshirt rule - ESPN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — FBS coaches voted unanimously Tuesday to adjust the redshirt rule to allow players to participate in up to nine games while preserving a full year's eligibility in the sport.

The vote, taken during the annual convention of the American Football Coaches Association, followed extensive discussion over ongoing eligibility concerns.

The current rule allows players to participate in up to four regular-season games plus any playoff games and still maintain their redshirt, effectively allowing four full seasons plus another one-third of a season within a five-year window.

A number of coaches pushed for a more expansive approach — a full five years of playing time in a five-year window. However, concerns about potential litigation in the wake of some controversial eligibility rulings, chief among them Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss — led the group to the nine-game compromise.

Any change would still need approval from the NCAA Division I committee.

About half of the 136 FBS coaches, including Georgia's Kirby Smart, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, attended the meeting. Many had hoped the conversations would include more rigorous debate on the current college football calendar.

Instead, the redshirt rule was the primary topic discussed, according to multiple coaches, with the larger calendar left to a smaller contingent of coaches who met Monday for a discussion outside the AFCA formal agenda.

Until 2017, players were given five years to play in four seasons with exceptions made only for seasons cut short for medical reasons. In 2017, the rule changed to allow any player who participates in four or fewer games to maintain their redshirt year — a decision which quickly created an