Yates should consider redshirting

The NCAA, where completely incomprehensible eligibility rules happen.

Jeremy Bloom, the ex-Colorado receiver who had his eligibility stripped because he happened to be a pro skier and a model (which, last I checked, had nothing to do with playing football on an amateur level) probably wouldn’t want to hear about this loophole.

If T.J. Yates doesn’t play another game for the Tar Heels this season, he could still suit up next year. And the little graphic under his name could read “sophomore” for the second year in a row.

By NCAA law, any athlete has six calendar years to complete four years of athletic eligibility.

Now, here’s where it gets tricky. One of those years can be the typical coach-says-not-to-play-this-season redshirt, but the other one has to be a “medical hardship waiver,” better known as a medical redshirt.

To apply for a medical redshirt, the player has to play in fewer than 20% of his team’s games, and he can’t participate in any games during the second half of the season.

I know, 20% of 12 is 2.4, but in NCAA rules, that rounds up to three (The NCAA apparently needs some student-athletes in its math division).

Yates got hurt in the third game of the season, against Virginia Tech.

He hasn’t played since, and he has only now begun practicing on the field again — splitting time in 7-on-7 drills against the defense with Mike Paulus as the backup.

So here’s my radical idea.

Get ready. Are you sitting on your bench (or seat back if you’re a season ticket holder who so chooses)?

Medical redshirt T.J. Yates.

With Cam Sexton playing well, and the offense having moved to a different style, it might be ideal to save Yates’ eligibility.

The offense when Yates left was vastly different from the one UNC will be running in Kenan Stadium today.

The deep passes to Brandon Tate and power running of Greg Little have been replaced with rollouts designed to cater to Sexton’s speed and stretch plays to compliment Shaun Draughn’s shiftiness and quickness.

More importantly, it would be a mistake to plug in Yates if he’s not 100 percent ready to step in and contribute.

Another year in the offense might actually benefit Yates with respect to his NFL draft stock. Butch Davis is known for developing NFL-ready quarterbacks, so an extra year of eligibility could allow Yates to develop more and show off his abilities.

Plus, Sexton is coming off a 238-yard, three touchdown, zero interception performance against then-No. 23 Boston College. He is just hitting his stride, and the offense is starting to gel.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Sexton is the better fit for the team right now. And, considering that Yates might not be totally healthy, a medical redshirt should be looking more and more palatable for Yates, Davis and the coaching staff.



Contact Louie Horvath at slhorvat@email.unc.edu.