With players coming in early for strength and conditioning purposes and getting into the flow of team schematics like Alex Karaban and Corey Floyd Jr, does it effect their four year eligibility? I’m assuming they’re Red Shirting for a year from the day they enrolled and have four years of eligibility left. If that’s the case then, if Alex is here for five years per se, does he have to stop playing in the middle of the season in January of 2027?
My understanding is that, barring medical exemptions, players have 5 seasons to play 4. If you're part of the team (including a non-playing member, i.e. redshirt) for any part of a season, that season counts toward your 5 (and towards your 4, if you enter into at least one contest). So, Karaban and Akok, who enrolled in the middle of a season, were/are officially redshirts who used up their first year of their 5-to-play-4 allotment.
I would call Floyd more of a "traditional" redshirt situation, even though he reclassified to come to UConn early. He enrolled when most other freshmen did, and is spending his entire first season with the team as a redshirt.