Johnson: Athletes who elect a redshirt have options

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By Erica Johnson

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Every year parents face the decision of whether to start their child in kindergarten after the child’s fifth birthday, or to hold them until the next year. This typically occurs with children who have summer birthdays and may not be ready to start school. Nevertheless, who’s to say that this doesn’t work later in life when a person is old enough to make his or her own decisions?

Before every season, athletes can decide to elect the redshirt option, which is similar to waiting a year. The option keeps the players off the field for a season but saves a year of eligibility. Redshirts are taken in hopes of becoming a better all-around athletes and creating a stronger individual in order to help the team. Others simply become redshirts because they are academically ineligible or have a medical injury, á la Kansas senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart. She has been able to further her volleyball career and utilize the year she missed because of her injury.

Many typically become redshirts their first year on the team. But that’s not always the case. Just this week, sophomore guard Brady Morningstar became a redshirt this season most likely because the basketball team has so many guards and it would be difficult to earn playing time.

"This year’s Kansas football team has 57 players who have been redshirts at one point in their careers."

A benefit of being a redshirt is an extra year of development. This helps athletes better their skills for a specific sport. They can also become stronger both physically and mentally. With that redshirt year, athletes are able to learn what the coaches and team expect from them. In Morningstar’s case, he avoids a season in which it would be near impossible for him to play.

Football is the most common sport to see a redshirt. This year’s Kansas football team has 57 players who have been redshirts at one point in their careers. This is a large fraction of the 108-player team.

With every upside to a situation, there is a downside. A redshirt athlete is only able to practice with the team. He can’t participate in any games or competitions. Even if the athlete plays one minute or one play, he has to use that as one of his four years of eligibility. Some athletes benefit from that year off. Others are too good to sit out a year and would be considered wasting time. Last year sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing was a redshirt until a desperate need for a competent quarterback arose during the Colorado home game. Senior quarterback Adam Barmann struggled to move his offense against the Buffaloes. Head coach Mark Mangino needed a win to have a chance at Bowl eligibility and decided that one win was worth a year of Reesing’s services. Reesing displayed fine skills and impressed the coaches enough to make him a competitor for the starting job this season. And look where Reesing and KU football are now: national title contenders.

Even though Reesing would still have been practicing as a redshirt last, it’s never the same as being in a real game.

So whether it’s Natalie Uhart, Todd Reesing or Brady Morningstar, electing a redshirt is a decision not to be taken lightly.

Kansan Sports Columnist Erica Johnson can be reached at ejohnson@kansan.com

— Edited by Rachael Gray

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