A newish thing that fans have been tracking over the past few years is what freshmen are playing in games but still might plan on redshirting. The redshirt rule, enacted in 2018 by the Division I council, states that a player can participate in up to four games of a single season without burning his redshirt, thus saving a year of eligibility.
The Wisconsin Badgers have taken advantage of this rule, getting young players valuable experience playing in real games without using up a year of eligibility. It is the rare time that the NCAA did something smart and good for their athletes.