Bo Nix

Any student that started during the 2019-20 school year was granted an extra year of eligibility for a 6 year window. 2026 was the original year for all of these extra freshman to finish out however the NCAA over the past couple of years have granted some an extra year on top of that for non medical reasons in certain cases, giving some players a 7th year. They have also started granting medical red shirts for more illnesses and not just injury.

You are right though, you would think it's not a lot but there are certain positions on the field that this affects more than anything......QB. The longer a QB can stay in college the longer it will take for a freshman or sophomore behind them to crack the starting lineup. While the studs will be the studs, most drafted NFL QB's will establish themselves through a couple of years of play. The longer it takes them to see the field, the more likely it is to stay an extra year to improve draft stock. The transfer portal as an effect on this as well. Where guys who would normally be done after their 4th year can now transfers and play another year blocking a younger potential player from hitting the field their sophomore year.

The other thing COVID did was block scholarships for HS students. Even though players were granted an extra year the colleges were not granted extra scholarships. So scholarships are still be eaten up by older players that may not have an NFL future causing some potential future NFL players to spend a year at JuCo......then coming into a major college team a year or two later than normal.