Missouri Valley Football Conference coaches looking forward to new redshirt rule

Jul. 17—GRAND FORKS — A year ago, UND true freshman running back Charles Langama saw his first action in college football Oct. 18 at Southern Illinois after Gaven Ziebarth suffered an injury during the game.

The Fighting Hawks had six regular-season games remaining but wanted to protect Langama's redshirt status in order to not burn a full season of eligibility — as the rules in 2025 would suggest.

So Hawks head coach Eric Schmidt played Langama against South Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota State — scratching him from the lineup for two games amid that stretch against two teams near the bottom of the Missouri Valley Football Conference standings — Indiana State and Murray State.

FCS Playoff games didn't count toward the four-game rule, so Langama played against Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State.

Schmidt and the rest of the coaches in college football no longer have to juggle this kind of situation.

As the 2026 college football season nears, teams now have age-based eligibility rules. Athletes will be granted five years of eligibility to be completed within five years of high school graduation or an athlete's 19th birthday, whichever comes first.

As a result, the redshirt is no longer.

"I just think there can be so much more consistency for the players, which is going to help with player safety and player development," Schmidt said. "Those guys know that they have an opportunity now to be able to play consistently their freshman year and not have to sit and be on scout team one week and coming up the next.

"That can make it really, really difficult. Those guys can be part of the plan each and every week. I think it's the right move just to be able to make things a lot more simpler, not only for us but just for the overall organization of college football."

UND played a number of true freshmen in 2025. Cornerbacks Evan Kludt and Grant Noland played beyond four games, as well as nickel Grant Tylutki and tight end Nathan Hromadka.

Not only will the new rules impact athletes at the start of college football careers, but the new rules are also expected to eliminate medical redshirts that pushed careers for some athletes into their mid-20's.

"We don't have to play the gymnastics and follow how many games has he played or has left ... there's none of that," Illinois State veteran head coach Brock Spack said. "You have five years and that's it. It makes it easier for everybody. I'm sure there's some challenges with it, but I like it. We don't want 27 or 28 year olds out there playing, so maybe that helps it."

Another issue the rule change is aimed at — seen more often at the power conference level — is players shutting down on a season after four games — perhaps claiming a minor injury but really wishing to protect a season of eligibility in order to transfer elsewhere.

"For me, the best thing is there's a ton of clarity," first-year South Dakota head coach Matt Vitzthum said. "For the past two summers, we've had waiver processes going into July. As a staff, we have to adjust. We have to see in fall camp if there are guys who earn the right to be out there as true freshmen. As a staff, we have to adapt to what's happening and see if a freshman is ready to go."