According to a report by ESPN’s Cole Cubelic, the NCAA has issued a blanket waiver to allow college football players to participate in bowl games without compromising their eligibility for a redshirt this season if they have played in four games or fewer.
NCAA has issued a one-time blanket waiver, in FBS football, to exempt postseason participation from the limit of 4 contests a student-athlete may participate in w/o using a season of competition. The blanket waiver is applicable to FBS postseason gms that occur after Dec 15, 2022
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) December 16, 2022
While the waiver is likely to make a bigger impact for teams that aren’t in the College Football Playoff and have to replace players who have entered the transfer portal or opted out of their bowl games, it could also bolster Ohio State’s depth for the Peach Bowl.
Most notably, the blanket waiver allows Teradja Mitchell – who entered the transfer portal earlier this month but is finishing out the season with the Buckeyes – to play in the CFP without burning his redshirt even though he has already played in four games. Had Mitchell burned his redshirt, he would have exhausted his NCAA eligibility and been unable to play at another school next season.
Other Buckeyes who likely wouldn’t have played in the CFP that will now be available to provide additional depth and/or play on special teams include true freshman offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola and cornerback Ryan Turner, who had both been shut down for the year after playing in four regular-season games but can now play in the CFP without burning their redshirts.
