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January 31, 2012

What is a "Blueshirt?"





Consider this a Wahooze terminology lesson.


In the world of big-time college football recruiting, we already know what a "redshirt" is (when a player sits out a year but retains that year of eligibility, yet is able to practice / work out with the team.)  We also know what a greyshirt is (when a player delays his enrollment at his future college so that his eligibility clock will not start ticking until he arrives on campus during the second semester of the year.) But what the heck is a "blueshirt?"


It's a term I just recently heard bandied about.  I didn't know what it meant, so I looked it up.  Basically, a blueshirt is a player who arrived on campus as a "preferred" or "recruited" walk-on and then eventually earns a football scholarship.


Interesting concept.  We actually have three blueshirt candidates (maybe more) in this year's recruiting class: kicker Dylan Sims, punter James Coleman, and offensive lineman Jackson Matteo.


Propers to Pre-Snap Read for spelling out the system, explaining the history of the practice at New Mexico State (where the term originated), and illuminating the potential problems the NCAA could face with blueshirting.  It's a good read, I'd recommend checking it out.

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