As it stands now, if a college football player steps on the field during the season for even one snap, he burns his redshirt. All too commonly, coaches are forced to burn the redshirts of kids they’d prefer to keep on the shelf because of injuries. Coaches, not surprisingly, would like to see this rule adjusted.
The current rule considers a student-athlete to have used a season of competition once he or she participates in competition, unless the student satisfies an exception or qualifies for a waiver.
A concept presented to the committee by the American Football Coaches Association suggests allowing a football student to compete in a limited number of football games throughout the season without using a season of competition.