greyshirting

[redman76]

This term is new to me this year.  My son pursued football as an  freshman at a D3 school this year.  I understand that the last year for redshirting was 2003.  Greyshirting is similar insofar as it saves a year of eligibility, but differs in that the player does not practice with the team.  In fact, he is separated from the team and certainly not on the active roster.  He goes to the weight room, takes a football class to learn the system better, and keeps in touch with the coaching staff.  They had as many as 150 players show up first day, and after the usual attrition they still have about 20 young men greyshirting in order to comply with the NCAA 100 man roster limit.  Is this an acceptable and common practice?

[Pat Coleman]

Acceptable? Apparently. Common? Not sure. I first heard about it in basketball last year.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. Smacks of schools upset about losing redshirting trying to get around it.

By the way, there is no NCAA 100-man roster limit. Anyone with a regular-season roster limit in Division III is either having it imposed by the conference or by the school administration. There is a roster limit in playoff games of 52 players.

[religion_major]

I had heard this term used to discribe an athlete who graduates early from high school to attend practice in the spring season.  A football player at Maryland who graduated from a rival high school did this.  He played his senior season and then graduated a semester early to go to spring practice.  The newspaper refered to that as "greyshirting", but I have never heard of this type of practice redman76.  I guess it might be helpful.  I know Bridgewater has a JV team, but the players are still listed on the roster and are considered to have used a year of eligability I believe. 

[rbaikie]

Here in California, I have seen the term used a number of times, especially with junior/community colleges. It seems to refer to a play who is in school, who works out with the team, but doesn't suit up for games so that he gains a year of experience in the system but doesn't use his eligibilty.

I don't really know how it works, but a number of schools that have established winning programs refer to it.

I also am unsure of how this would be acceptable to 4 year schools, who usually would consider this equivalent of a redshirt.

[Mr. Ypsi]

If the player actually works out with the team, that sounds like redshirting, not greyshirting!

If the player does no more working out than would be the right of any student (up to, and including, 'scrimmages' against team members [sans coaches]), I'm not sure how 'greyshirting' could be legislated against (or even whether it should be).

[Warren Thompson]

I hate to ask ... but is it possible some coaches have found a way around the D3 prohibition of  non-medical redshirts?

[Mr. Ypsi]

WT,

I think that is EXACTLY what is happening with 'greyshirting', but the coaches had better make sure they leave no 'fingerprints'.  But if a student (although recruited) does nothing more than what any student has the right to do (weight room, 'pick-up' games, rummaging through his 'buddy's' playbook, even watching film [sans coaches, of course]), what prohibition could (or should) be made?

As Baruch Spinoza wrote some 400 years ago: "All laws which can be violated without doing anyone an injury are laughed at.  Nay, so far are they from doing anything to control the desires and passions of men that, on the contrary, they direct and incite men's thoughts the more toward those very objects....  He who tries to determine everything by law will foment crime rather than lessen it."

Redshirting, per se, probably did need to go, but 5th year players are probably unavoidable (and if you have captains sufficiently 'in tune' with the coaches, even the ban on coaches during the greyshirting year may be all but meaningless).

[Pat Coleman]

UWSP basketball made it sound like their greyshirts were essentially taking the role of student managers.

Of course, I've seen student managers used in practice situations at some places, so even that isn't 100% equivalent.

[Mr. Ypsi]

If a school/player/coach wants to red/greyshirt, I doubt there is any rule we would WANT to adopt that can prevent it.

[dansand]

Mr. Ypsi,

Sounds like Spinoza was a libertarian!   

[The Roop]

The more rules you make, the more loopholes you create. Greyshirting might be something that the powers that be should just leave alone or it will only get worse. What's next........... Recruit some kids, tell them not to enroll until they are needed in a few years and allow them "accompany" the team on campus. It would be a free pass to almost unlimited eligibility. "No no no, those aren't players, they're building maintenance personnel who like watching the practice sessions."

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Did we just get a lengthy Spiniza quote in here?  Now that is quality d3 action.

It might be new for football, but I've seen the so called greyshirting thing for basketball for a long time, especially at the smaller schools.  A couple of guys show up for open tryouts who have promise, but not enough to contribute as freshmen.  The coach invites them to practice occasionally basically as a "scout" team and they work out with the team although usually without the coaching staff.

Really, the whole process is just smart.  When you're a small d3 school, you never know which player(s) will decide to stop playing after sophomore year and leave you in the lurch.  It's only smart for the coach to keep up repore with possible replacements.  It's a whole lot better than just cutting them and its less commitment for the guys than a redshirt would be.  Now that Redshirts are gone, it makes total sense.  In fact, it would be dumb of a coach not to keep close ties with players who might develop into contributors before their time is up.

[Knightstalker]

The same concept has been used by NJCU for at least the past 15 years or so that I have been following the program.  Sometimes a player needs to take a semester off or a season off for academics or in the case of NJCU student teaching and can't make it back in time for practice every day.  They still go to games, they watch practice when possible and keep in shape and play against their team mates in pickup games.

[Thunder Struck]

Grayshirting, as I have seen it, is an insidious little device used to keep a player in a system until he is needed.  Normally, a grayshirt has to take a part-time academic load, so not only is he not a player, he's not really a student, either.   It's redshirting by another name, except that the grayshirt has very little leverage with the program.  He's neither fish nor fowl.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'm not sure what the big deal is.  If a kid is willing to slow his academic progress or continue to pay the school for the priviledge of attending, just so he can play d-III hoops, then I say let them do it.  There would be a different story for division I, but these kids don't have scholarships; there's nothing wrong with it.