PCFL recruits that are on PS slots, and 5 new recruits placed on I slots and designed as Red Shirt players after recruiting is concluded and before the season starts, will receive red shirt status (and R designation in the league files) and will not advance in class in that season. All other recruits signed will be given 1 year status as true freshman when placed on A or O slots after signing with their team. For example, a recruit immediately placed on PS will remain R for that season and become a 1 or "red shirt" freshman the following season, and play 4 full seasons.
A player can only receive one red shirt season during his career in the PCFL, and may only receive that during his first season in the PCFL, unless he is granted an injury-based Red Shirt season. A player granted red shirt status will lose that status if he is activated (placed on a A or O slot) for more than 4 games in a single season.
Transfer portal signed players must be placed on A or O slots by the team that signs them. Players do not transfer to be red shirted. Walk-on players signed to a team may only be given Red Shirt status if they are R players as walk-ons, which are generally unsigned remaining recruits from the recruiting phase of the off-season.
Consistent with NCAA Red Shirt rules, a player sustaining a long term (8 or more weeks) of a season-ending injury may receive an injury Red Shirt if he has played fewer than 30 percent of the season (4 or fewer games of a 12 game schedule), has not played past the mid-point of a season (game 6 of a 12 game schedule), and is sufficiently injured that he will be at least P-1 or worse for the remaining games of the regular schedule.
All of this information and records regarding red shirt status on players will be logged via the Teams and Recruiting File.