USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is calling for a huge rule change to college football after he was blindsided (at least publicly) from Bear Alexander‘s decision to redshirt. Alexander, a former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman, chose to redshirt and enter the transfer portal after his third season of college football.
What rule change does Riley want? He wants redshirts to go away and thinks players should have five years of eligibility.
“I think guys should have five years,” said Riley. “Do whatever you want, play as much as you want or as little as you want, and the only way you get an extra one is if you have two season-ending injuries and miss the whole season.”
Bear Alexander’s decision to redshirt may have influenced Riley’s thinking on redshirts. Alexander is not the only player to decide to redshirt and enter the transfer portal in the middle of the season.
Riley has seen college football change a lot since he became the head coach of Oklahoma in 2017. Riley saw COVID-19 give an extra year of eligibility for all players and saw the rise of name, image and likeness in recent years. College football also allows players to no longer have to sit out for a season after entering the transfer portal.
Allowing players to stay for a fifth year would help some players that are good enough to play early, but don’t have the refined skillset the NFL is looking for, but it would be more expensive for schools and could hurt high school recruits.