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I read a while back that serious consideration is being given to giving student athletes 5 years of eligibility. Part of the reasoning is that the average college student today takes 5 years to graduate, so student athletes should be given the same privilege as far as eligibility is concerned.

I'm hoping this happens. I don't see any downside to it from the student athlete's perspective. I'm assuming this would end the practice of red-shirting. A recruit could come in and play his freshman year without losing a year of eligibility, and still have 4 more years to play.

I think the adoption of this proposal would help teams from the MAC, WAC, CUSA, and so on. It would given them more depth, adding freshmen recruits to their playing roster. You might say the same for the "big programs". However, I think these schools tend to have more depth to begin with, and the addition of freshmen would have less impact.

It might also curtail the practice of "grey-shirting" which some "big programs" are using now to gain an advantage over schools like BG. Northwestern "grey-shirted" a recruit last Fall that several MAC schools were interested in.

If this proposal is adopted, I hope they would make it retroactive so that players like BG's Winovich who played as a freshman this year would get an extra year of eligibility.

Interesting proposal. My knee-jerk reaction is negative, but then again, I'm an old fuddy-duddy.

1987alum wrote:Interesting proposal. My knee-jerk reaction is negative, but then again, I'm an old fuddy-duddy.

I'm with you.

I am also against this idea and think it would work against the MAC sized schools.

I am actually for a reduction of years, similar to what transfer mentions.

I wouldn't be mad if they went back to the olden days and said that freshman were not eligible for the reasons transfer lists. This will never happen so I say stick with the 5 years to play four and make sure they get their academic wings before their varsity letters. . . .