College football coaches recommend allowing players to play up to 9 games and use redshirt

College football head coaches have unanimously voted to recommend that players be allowed to participate in up to nine games and still retain their redshirt eligibility. This marks a significant shift from the current rule, which allows players to redshirt only if they play four or fewer regular-season games, with the fifth game consuming a year of eligibility. The recommendation emerged after a meeting of approximately 60 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches at the American Football Coaches Association’s convention in Charlotte.

The proposal, which is not yet an official NCAA rule, will be presented to NCAA committees for consideration. The meeting included prominent coaches such as Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. While some coaches hoped for a broader change allowing players five years to play five seasons, no consensus was reached on that front.

The NCAA has maintained that existing eligibility rules will remain until the end of the 2026-27 academic year. The current eligibility framework allows players four years of play, with possibilities to extend due to redshirt