GRAY SHIRT
This term is used to designate a high school athlete who is delaying their initial enrollment in a college. The athlete, usually an NCAA Division I football athlete, doesn’t enroll in college in the Fall immediately after high school graduation, but will delay enrollment until the Spring semester. The advantage in gray shirting is giving the player an additional spring semester to use during their eligibility. So, rather than entering school during the semester in which competition will begin, you enter the school in a spring semester giving you more preparation time before your first semester of competitive play.
What does the grey shirt mean to the individual athlete? Typically, the athlete goes to junior college where they can begin taking college courses. The athlete can not take 12 credits or more. Taking 12 credits or more of college courses will essentially start that athlete’s “eligibility clock”. Athletes are also responsible for paying for the classes they are taking at the junior college.
