Understanding College Shirt Terms and the effects of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The new NCAA rules, including the transfer portal, have changed the dynamics of college athletics, especially when it comes to the traditional terms like Redshirt, Gray shirt, Blue shirt, and Green shirt. Alongside these terms, the role of Post Grad Sports Academies has also evolved. Understanding the breakdown and benefits of the key factors and how these terms play out in the current NCAA landscape is very important for any student athletes coming out of High School.

1. Redshirt

• A redshirt is a player who doesn’t participate in competition for a season, typically their freshman year, in order to extend their eligibility. They still practice with the team and can develop skills during the year without using up one of their four years of eligibility.
• Impact of Transfer Portal: The redshirt rule has stayed largely the same. A player can still redshirt as long as they play in four or fewer games in a season. With the transfer portal, a redshirted player can transfer without penalty and still retain that redshirt season. In fact, the portal allows players to move freely while maintaining eligibility, making redshirting an attractive option for players who want to develop before playing competitively or want to transfer after their redshirt year.
• Post Grad Academy: Some players may choose to attend a Post Grad sports academy to develop their skills, perhaps due to academic reasons, personal development, or to improve their athletic standing before entering college. A player attending a Post Grad academy can technically still redshirt in college if they haven’t used a season of eligibility elsewhere, and they would then have the option to transfer (thanks to the portal) without losing that redshirt season.

2. Grayshirt

• A grayshirt refers to a player who delays enrollment by a semester or year, typically because of academic reasons, scholarship availability, or the need for more physical development. The grayshirt year doesn’t count against eligibility, and the player usually starts their college athletic career a semester or year later.
• Impact of Transfer Portal: The concept of a grayshirt isn’t heavily impacted by the transfer portal, but the increased movement of players could mean that a player who had originally planned to grayshirt could decide to transfer to another school and compete right away, instead of waiting a year to enroll in a new school. Players who grayshirt often do so to enter a program when they are more physically or academically ready, and the transfer portal gives them more options to find a program that fits better.
• Post Grad Academy: Post-graduate academies can be seen as a stepping stone for players who might not be academically eligible to enter college directly after high school or who want to refine their athletic skills. After spending time at a post-grad academy, a player could still choose to grayshirt at the collegiate level to extend eligibility or prepare for their athletic career.

3. Blueshirt

• A blueshirt refers to a walk-on player who earns a scholarship after they have already joined the team. The key distinction is that they are counted as a scholarship athlete starting after their enrollment and participation, but they are not considered part of the team’s initial recruiting class.
• Impact of Transfer Portal: With the portal, blue-shirt players have more flexibility. A player who was initially a walk-on can transfer to another school, potentially earn a scholarship, and play immediately if they haven’t already used up their eligibility. The portal means that players have more opportunities to earn scholarships and play sooner, reducing the reliance on the traditional blue-shirt process in some cases.
• Post Grad Academy: A Post Grad academy could allow a player to build their profile before entering college. For example, a player could go to an academy to improve their athletic performance or get better academic preparation, then enter college as a blue-shirt walk-on, or potentially transfer from the academy if they’ve improved their skills or profile.

4. Greenshirt

• A greenshirt is a term used less frequently today, but it typically refers to a freshman player who enters college as a scholarship athlete but is delayed in their playing status for reasons like physical readiness or academic preparedness.
• Impact of Transfer Portal: The greenshirt concept has faded somewhat with the increased flexibility provided by the transfer portal. A player who may have been a “greenschirt” might now opt to enter the portal to find a program where they can contribute sooner, especially if they are physically ready or if their initial school offers less playing time than they had hoped.
• Post Grad Academy: Similar to grayshirting, a Post Grad sports academy can serve as a bridge for a player who may not be fully ready for college-level competition. A player can develop their skills and academics in a Post Grad setting and then enter a college program either as a greenshirt (if they are still a freshman) or as a transfer if they have developed sufficiently during the academy year. 

Where Post Grad Academies Fit into This:

• Post Grad Sports Academies have become an important option for players, especially in basketball, football, and other sports, who may need time to develop either academically, athletically, or both. These academies offer a semester to year of development before a player enters a college program. Players who attend a Post Grad sports academy can see a great deal of increase mentally and physically in many different ways:
  1. Get stronger physically or technically.
  2. Improve academic standing (e.g., for NCAA eligibility).
  3. Enhance their athletic profile, especially if they need more time to showcase their skills before entering college athletics.
• Impact on College Terms:

• Players who attend a Post Grad academy will typically still have four years of NCAA or NAIA eligibility left, depending on the sport and their timeline. If they decide to attend an academy, they could delay entering college (acting similarly to a grayshirt).
• They can use this time to improve their draft status, athletic ability, or academic standing before stepping into a collegiate program.
• Impact of Transfer Portal: Post Grad players are more likely to enter college with a higher skill level, and the transfer portal gives them more options to move around if their initial choice doesn’t work out, allowing for more flexibility and opportunities.

The transfer portal has shifted the dynamics of traditional terms like redshirt, grayshirt, blueshirt, and greenshirt, giving athletes more flexibility to move between schools, which impacts how these terms are applied. Post Grad sports academies provide an additional pathway for athletes to develop and improve before entering college athletics. Players from these academies might still use traditional NCAA or NAIA terms like redshirt or grayshirt once they enter college, but they also have more opportunities to transfer and play immediately, adjusting the significance of these terms.