The NCAA announced today that, starting in the 2018 season, Division I football players can appear in up to four games without losing a season of eligibility.
Players will still have five years in which to play four seasons of football. The change alters the long-standing redshirt rule, under which any game appearance at any point during the season would result in the season counting against the player’s four years of eligibility.
Unfortunately, the rule will not apply retroactively: players who appeared in four games or fewer in any season up to now will still have their eligibility governed by the old rules.