College players see benefit of redshirt season

<p>A redshirt season in college football can be viewed one of two ways.</p><p>Either it’s a not-so-subtle request from the coaching staff to improve, or the ultimate head start on eventual playing time.</p><p>Indianapolis safety Blake Moran remembers hearing the news that his 2016 season would be spent cheering on teammates on Saturdays rather than suiting up for the game.</p><p>&quot;It’s kind of tough because you’re not going to play your first college season, but it helped in the long run,&quot; Moran said. &quot;I was able to learn more of the defensive schemes and was able to get stronger and faster.&quot;</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>A redshirt sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Moran is 15 pounds heavier than when he arrived on campus. He’s one of three former Center Grove players on the Greyhounds’ roster, along with redshirt sophomore cornerback Connor Steeb and sophomore tackle Clay Hadley.</p><p>Former Whiteland player Tarnjeet Singh is a redshirt freshman offensive lineman for UIndy.</p><p>Greyhounds coach Bob Bartolomeo carries 114 players on his roster, a large percentage being true freshmen. His goal is to redshirt the majority of them so they can better learn his system while getting stronger in the weight room.</p><p>In the opener at Grand Valley State on Aug. 30, Steeb started at boundary (short side of the field) safety and let the team in tackles with 13. Singh saw playing time off the bench in that game and was then inserted into the starting lineup when UIndy defeated Wayne State, 28-6.</p><p>“What we do starts with recruiting,” Bartolomeo said. “We tell them if they’re good enough to help us win ball games, you’re going to play. Everyone thinks they’re going to start, and, to their credit, they’ve been starters in high school.</p><p>“It’s a big adjustment for them. Some freshmen are ready and some aren’t.”</p><p>The redshirting procedure is slightly different at Marian, where the two-time NAIA national champions adopted the policy of coaches using true freshmen as needed at any point of the first six games. This is usually based on depth, as one position might experience more injuries than others.</p><p>In weeks 7-10, coach Mark Henninger gives players on course for a redshirt the opportunity to play if they so choose.</p><p>“We see value in redshirting,” Henninger said. “There is something about being patient. At the same time, if we end up with a player in the two-deeps, we’ll play them. If not, we’ll consider redshirting them.”</p><p>“If he says he wants to redshirt, we go to the next guy on our depth chart.”</p><p>Two Marian freshmen from Center Grove, defensive end Cole Williams and tight end Cory Heinrichs, remain in wait-and-see mode. Should they not play in the first six games, the seventh game isn’t until Oct. 20 when they host Concordia (Michigan).</p><p>“It would be difficult being on the sidelines and watching,” Williams said. “But you would be able to play on the scout team and play against the older guys. When I came here in May, I knew the harder I worked the further I would get.</p><p>“You take every possible chance to get in there and show the coaches what you can do.”</p><p>Henninger and his assistants monitor freshmen from the time the whistle sounds to start the first preseason practice. Most seasons he’ll play seven or eight true freshmen and redshirt between 40 and 50 others.</p><p>“Cory and Cole both are on the cusp of whether they play or we redshirt them,” Henninger said. “For redshirts, (football season) is hard. The benefit is, by not playing they’re able to focus more academically. Then, in the spring, they get to say, ‘Wow, I get to play this game for four more years, and I’m ahead of the game.'</p><p>“Life as a sophomore is so much easier than as a freshman.”</p><p>This is true in Division I, too.</p><p>Stanford defensive end Jovan Swann stepped away from game competition as a college freshman after helping lead Center Grove to a 14-0 record and Class 6A state championship in 2015. His bookend on that Trojans’ defense, end Cameron Tidd, redshirted the same season at Vanderbilt. Both saw their first action last fall.</p><p>Another Center Grove alum, Western Illinois fullback Max Norris, used his redshirt season to better prepare himself for the rigors of college football. He responded last season as a redshirt sophomore by rushing for 656 yards.</p><p>“My first year here it was a different head coach, and I just wasn’t ready,” Norris said. &quot;The redshirt season helped me understand college football in general.&quot;</p>