Greg Schiano Believes Five-Year Eligibility Rule Opens Chances For Younger Players

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College football has gone the way of the transfer portal and NIL movements. Not to mention redshirts, eligibility battles, COVID-years, and other waivers that can be filed in attempts to return to school.

The NCAA has done away with this under the new “five-for-five” rule and Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is in favor.

Rutgers opened up training camp this week and Schiano was asked how this new rule impacts the use of younger players.

“I think it’s great,” Schiano said. “What you use to have to worry about was, if we have a game where we’re in the lead by a lot, we’ll get them in there maybe to get some playing time, but then are we using up possible opportunities?”

In the past, coaches would be able to use players in up to four games before burning a year of eligibility. Now, the rule states that players will get a single, five-year window that begins at the time of college enrollment of the year after the athlete’s 19th birthday.

This eliminates redshirts and a majority of waivers that could be filed.

This will give coaches a chance to use younger players in more games and in different ways to get them more experience, especially in lopsided contests.

“They only used to be able to have four performances in games before the fifth one counted for the year of eligibility,” Schiano said. “Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore. So, it allows you if a guy can help in one particular facet, it allows you to use him in 12 or more games, if it fits.”

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