One of the big questions surrounding the upcoming season revolves around the eligibility of student-athletes. The idea that athletes shouldn’t lose a year of eligibility has been kicked around. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was supportive of the idea when he spoke to media on Tuesday.
My personal opinion is I do think that eligibility should be frozen, regardless. I think that it’s unfortunate that everybody has had to go through this, and I know it’s not the college’s fault by any stretch of the imagination. But the college experience is such a short-term thing in people’s lives and I think everybody should be able to get the most out of it.
According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA Division I Council agrees with the Texas quarterback.
Sources: The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any amount of competitions this year and it will not count as a season of eligibility. This still needs to be approved by NCAA Board of Governors on Friday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 19, 2020
Provided the NCAA Board of Governors approves the ruling on Friday, then we will have a unique situation on campus. Especially for those players who are playing the schools that went forward with a fall season. It could mean that Sam Ehlinger could ideally come back for a fifth season if he chooses.
For the incoming freshman this could be a full season redshirt opportunity for the freshman class. The original ruling being that players couldn’t appear in more than four games to maintain their redshirt status. With this amendment for the 2020 season, there would be no cap on games with player eligibility being frozen.
Head coach Tom Herman would be able to get a better look at some of their underclassmen in the fall season. Now we await the Board of Governors decision on Friday.