What is a red-shirt freshman?

Answer 1

A redshirt freshman is a player who is in his first year of playing but has already completed one year of college. During his actual freshman year, he is in "redshirt" status, which means he can practice with the team but is not eligible to play unless he is moved from "redshirt" to "active". So redshirt freshmen are actually second-year players. Why do freshmen get redshirted? (1) a freshman plays a position that is already well-stocked by older players; (2) a player needs to get another year of maturity (physically) to get bigger and would benefit from more weight training and conditioning; (3) the player has not grasped the complexities of the offense or defense and needs another year in the program to learn the plays. It is normally a combination of two of these factors, or possibly all three.

Answer 2

someone who did not play in games their freshman year and therefore has an extra year of elgibility