Definition of BlueShirting...

[Rocket23]

Blueshirting is an NCAA rule exception for oversigning that began at New Mexico State, which allows athletes to practically serve as early enrolling grayshirts, as long as the recruiting class is full.

They are eligible to both enroll and play during the initial fall semester following their high school graduation or junior college transfer, but are not counted as an incoming scholarship player until the following year's recruiting class.

In order to count towards the next allotment of scholarships, blueshirts begin as walk-ons and are not brought on scholarship until after the first day of fall camp.

It's a contrast from grayshirts, who are not permitted to enroll or play immediately out of high school.

The biggest distinction for blueshirts however, is that the rule interpretation mandates that the players in question are not recruited.

That is defined by the NCAA as not having any of the following: an official visit to the school or a letter of intent issued for the student athlete to submit.


If neither of those have occurred, the player is eligible to be a blueshirt beginning the day after fall camp starts. At that point, he may be awarded a scholarship and counted forwarded to the next year's recruiting class.

Here's a simple checklist/breakdown of the four scholarship entries, for a recruiting graduating high school in 2015:

Scholarships          Official Visit?   Counts Towards   Enrolls
Early enrollee                     Yes     2016 or 2017         Spring 2017
Fall enrollee                     Yes        2017                    Fall 2017
Blueshirt                             No                2018                    Fall 2017
Grayshirt                     Yes               2018

[DeltaBoy]

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