A redshirt senior is a college athlete who is in their fifth year of college but is using their fourth year of athletic eligibility. This means the athlete took a "redshirt" year—an academic year in which they did not compete in official games but remained with the team, practicing and attending classes—to extend their period of eligibility for competition
. In U.S. college sports, athletes typically have four seasons of eligibility over five academic years. The redshirt year allows them to delay participation in games for one season without losing a year of eligibility, often to develop skills, recover from injury, or adjust to college-level competition
. A redshirt senior thus benefits from this extra year to improve their athletic performance or academics while still competing in their final eligible season
. In summary, a redshirt senior is a fifth-year college student-athlete competing in their fourth season of sports eligibility due to having sat out one earlier season under redshirt rules
