Say you were a freshman in 2021, then your five year window starts in 2022 and ends in 2026. To make it to 2026 you need some sort of redshirt between 2022 and 2025. But there is more than one redshirt type available. And there are exceptions and waivers that can extend the five year window. Let's take a look at what is in store for you.
Military Exception
Religious Mission Exception
Recognized Foreign Aid Services of the U.S. Government Exception
Conscientious Objector Exception
Academic Study Abroad Exception
Internship or Cooperative Educational Work Experience Program Exception
Pregnancy Exception
Regular Redshirt
Olympic Redshirt
Medical Year Waiver
Erroneous Academic Advice Waiver
Natural Disaster Waiver
Extreme Financial Difficulty Waiver
Circumstance of Extraordinary or Extreme Hardship Waiver
So if everything, and I mean absolutely everything, has gone wrong (floods, lost jobs, injuries, bad advice, pregnancy), and right (Olympic redshirt, pregnancy) in your life and you have a sense of duty (military, religious mission, foreign aid, pregnancy) and adventure (religious mission, study abroad, internship, pregnancy), it is possible to be around a long, long time.