If you have a player high potential in many areas, but their work ethic rating is only 20, what is the best way to develop their skills?

starting them helps the most and the number of minutes they play helps a little bit as well

Start him. A 20 WE guy will grow about 6 points in WE with a season of starts. If he's a freshman, and you start him every game he'll finish in the 40's.

Is a redshirt year out of the question?

Posted by theluke on 6/29/2016 10:48:00 AM (view original):
Is a redshirt year out of the question?

You need to start him and play him as much as possible.
You CAN redshirt him but you wont get as much out of his growth as a different RS.

If you cannot RS anybody else, then yes, RS him.

rs him and starting 4 years is the best option out there.

Posted by viva_il_re on 6/29/2016 11:06:00 AM (view original):
rs him and starting 4 years is the best option out there.

Starting him as FR, the RS'ing, is better but risky.

RS is useless if their WE is really low. they might even end lower than where you started after losing growth between seasons. with 20 WE i guess it would be about a wash.

You get about 5 or 6 pints in blues with 20 minutes at 20 we

Redshirt him and then start him all 4 years if possible.

https://www.whatifsports.com/hd/PlayerHistory/RatingsHistory.aspx?tid=6687&pid=3048601

a 20 WE is fine to RS he will still gain some and he won't negate it in the offseason.

Redshirting him also makes him a better 4-year starter, because he'll have acceptable IQs his first year.

Posted by bathtubhippo on 6/29/2016 3:04:00 PM (view original):
RS is useless if their WE is really low. they might even end lower than where you started after losing growth between seasons. with 20 WE i guess it would be about a wash.

Really low, maybe, but even with a WE of 20 at least the next season when it's time for him to play his IQ will be at a semi-acceptable level.

TJ is correct, the very best method (though risky, as he said) is to start a player his first year, THEN redshirt him the next year (when his WE is higher than the previous season). I guess you could try it with a junior but good luck. I think I actually had a junior take a redshirt once though in almost 500 seasons and I put it on him just joking around. Never expected it to actually work.

Posted by bathtubhippo on 6/29/2016 3:04:00 PM (view original):
RS is useless if their WE is really low. they might even end lower than where you started after losing growth between seasons. with 20 WE i guess it would be about a wash.

I think this is a little extreme to say he might end up lower. Check out this guy who I redshirted who only had a 13 WE. He didn't grow much but some. And it allowed me to start him 4 seasons.
https://www.whatifsports.com/hd/PlayerHistory/RatingsHistory.aspx?tid=6504&pid=3174509

the main advantage of the redshirt year is the IQ growth... I'm not sure, but I it feels like IQ grows decently for low WE guys.