A number of true FR players were active in the ‘21 Spring Season, what
would normally have been their redshirt year.
iirc the NCAA had already said
the Spring would not count towards the eligibility clock, so I believe
the Coaches went ahead and played more true freshman than
normal - especially on Special Teams - to have the extra depth among
the coaches’ reasons for doing so.
Players who could come back for their normal 5th season include:
OL Zabel
OL Miller
TE Stoffel
WR Nelson
RB Marshall (not a starter but close enough)
S Jung
S Wisniewski
They could just as easily be listed as JR, but the decision was made to list as seniors.
The basketball team went the other way and listed players as having the extra year left.