Get used to a new term in college football: academic redshirt.

New initial-eligibility requirements are set to kick in for the class of 2016 -- players who will begin their freshman high school seasons in the fall. That means an all out push to spread the word about the changes, to make sure players are still able to qualify to play college football.

Mitch Sherman of ESPN Recruiting Nation has a terrific piece on the requirement changes, and what they could mean for incoming players and teams. Under the new rules, the minimum grade-point average for prospective student-athletes jumps from 2.0 to 2.3. Prospective student-athletes must still pass 16 core subjects. But now, 10 must be completed by the beginning of their senior year of high school; AND all 16 must be completed in four years.

Here is a brief excerpt from the story:

A survey conducted by the NCAA indicated that of all freshmen football players to enroll at Division I schools last fall, approximately 40 percent would have failed to meet the 2016 requirements.

Forty percent. Meet your academic redshirts.

By definition, an academic redshirt is a student-athlete, in 2016 and beyond, who meets the old eligibility requirements but not the new standards. An academic redshirt can receive a scholarship and practice with the team but cannot participate in games.

Needless to say, student-athletes must be made aware of the rules changes, and now coaches are going to have to do more due diligence on the academic front, while weighing how many "academic redshirts" he can take per class. Sherman has much more on the potential implications of the new rules, so be sure to check out his piece.