The year 2020, the season of COVID, screwed things up for everyone, and during that year the NCAA made a decision that everyone received a free year of eligibility. The decision made at that time has led to some confusion, so let’s take a moment to explain exactly what we are looking at in terms of that “free COVID year”.
Let’s look at West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene. Greene was a freshman in 2020 and as such he “redshirted” that year, however the NCAA’s decision means that 2020 did not happen, which gives Greene his redshirt back.