Dabo Swinney suggests major changes to NCAA redshirt rules: 'Just let everybody play five years'

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney would like to see a change made to the NCAA redshirt rule, which currently allows for players to play in four games and still maintain their redshirt.

Instead, Swinney would like for there to be no redshirt option and for every player to have five years of eligibility.

He feels that allowing every player to play five years would eliminate some issues, including players opting out of the season after five games.

“I wish they’d just go five years and be done with it. Just let everybody play five years,” Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. “And just clean it up, you know. So you don’t have guys that are 26, and all the medicals and all the stuff. Just, you get five years. And I think that would really clean things up for everyone.”

Swinney did add that perhaps you could get up to six years if you are forced to medically redshirt for a season. But outside of that, he feels that everyone should have five seasons.

“I think it would stop a lot of the opt outs, too, you know. Because I get it. If a kid’s not happy where he’s at and he’s played four games, he wants to move on, he wants to save his year, I get that,” Swinney said. “But if you just went to five years, guys would play. And so now that keeps your rosters a little bit more intact, you know, to finish a season.

“So that’s something that, I don’t know where that is on the docket, but I would love to see that. You just get five years. You play five years. It doesn’t matter how many games you play, whatever, you get five years. So that would eliminate some of that stuff.”

Swinney added that it would make it easier on coaches, too. There would be no more issues about navigating injuries while also trying to maintain redshirts.

In addition, it would help with roster management, particularly as rosters move to 105, according to Swinney

“Because you do get in a situation with a couple of kids where you’re like, ‘Gah, he’s played three games or four games’ and maybe you’d like to hold him, but you’ve got three games left. And all of a sudden you really need him for that game,” Dabo Swinney said. “So if you had that five years, it really wouldn’t matter. … And now we’re going to 105 and having rosters at 105. That’s going to be a problem. Because rosters are going to [shrink].

“And it’s not the NFL where you can always stay at 105, whatever your number is. We don’t have access to players. So your roster’s going to dwindle down. And if you’ve got some guys that are trying to redshirt or whatever, that’s why I wish they’d just do away with that so you could keep the depth. … Five years would clean it up. Maybe you get one medical opportunity. And then that way you can at least manage the rosters.”