Florida Atlantic University’s football team (2-3, 0-1 AAC) is officially entering their bye week after a 41-10 win at home against Wagner University (2-3) on Sept. 28. After week four, players had to decide whether or not to redshirt themselves, effectively removing them from playing any other games this year. 

Head coach Tom Herman confirmed at the  weekly football press conference on Tuesday that the only player who decided to redshirt is junior wide receiver Jayshon Platt. He said none of the other players have expressed thoughts about it. 

As of now, Herman said that Platt has told the coaching staff that he plans to dedicate this year to training and continue his two remaining years of eligibility at FAU.

Platt played in three games this season: Michigan State University, Army West Point and Florida International University. Within the three games, he had four receptions and gained one touchdown in their season opener against MSU. Platt did not play in the Owls’ game against the University of Connecticut. He instead opted to redshirt this season to give himself two more years of play.

The ability to redshirt started in 1937 with walk-on student-athlete Warren Alfson from the University of Nebraska. He asked UN to practice with their team but not play in any games, and they granted him the ability to do so. Warren wore a red shirt with no number, which sparked the term “redshirts.” This terminology is used to describe student-athletes who don’t participate in gameplay for a year. 

Student athletes used to be prohibited from redshirting if they played any games, but in 2018 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented a change. Now, athletes are allowed to play in four games prior to deeming themselves as a redshirt. The NCAA added an additional rule in 2024 that grants athletes the ability to participate in postseason play without it counting towards the four game requirement. 

Herman believes that the ability to redshirt will soon be removed and players will be able to play for five seasons without having to make that choice.

“I tried to tell Jayshon this, but I don’t think redshirts are going to exist much longer. We, in fact, had to vote as head coaches on a proposal to get rid of redshirts, and obviously all of us coaches are in favor of that,” said Herman.

Athletes decide to redshirt for a variety of reasons, such as an injury, to build athletic careers while focusing on class and for freshman, a smoother transition to college life. 

For Platt, the decision meant the opportunity to tone up his abilities.

“He knows he’s still got to develop and it’s really good to see a young man his age say, ‘I’ve got a lot of work to do.’ Now, I think he and all of us would admit that we wish he would have gotten that work in last year so he would’ve been up to snuff this year,” said Herman. 

Herman explained that Platt had an early career and played around 50 snaps during his freshman year. He went on to say that freshman primarily watch games from the sidelines to see the “varsity” team play. This limited Platt’s development since he received few gameday reps. 

During Platt’s freshman year at FAU he played in all 11 games but only logged three receptions for 26 total yards and had 135 yards in punt returns. 

When Platt entered his sophomore year, Herman started his first year as the head coach of FAU after a four-year career as head coach of the University of Texas. 

“Year two, we came in; obviously the cupboard was a bit bare. Here’s this, you know, true sophomore that can run and jump and all that but really was a little bit behind in his development, and he knew that,” said Herman. “That’s the thing, as a head coach, that I think makes it stomachable.”

Herman acknowledged that Platt is one of the best scout team receivers in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) right now and has made their defensive backs better. He has already noticed improvements in Platt’s abilities, but only time will tell after a season out of play.

Megan Bruinsma is the Sports Editor for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories email her at mbruinsma2022@fau.edu or DM her on Instagram @megan_bruinsma or Twitter (X) @MeganBruinsma.