Redman then turned his attention to Illinois, giving them a commitment based on the recruiting efforts of Illini offensive coordinator Greg Landry.

[1] Illini head coach Lou Tepper ignited a controversy when he unexpectedly fired Landry the day after Redman signed his letter of commitment.

[5] In the summer of 1995, Redman signed a letter of intent to play college football at Louisville, his original choice, under new head coach Ron Cooper.

Redman played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 1996, starting the final five, and earned Conference USA All-Freshman honors after he threw for more than 1,700 yards.

In his first legitimate college action, coming off the bench to replace injured starter Jason Payne, Redman amassed 325 yards and three touchdowns in Louisville's come-from-behind win at Michigan State.

As a sophomore in 1997, Redman started all 11 games and shattered single-season school passing marks in attempts (445), completions (261), yards (3,079) and total offense (2,958).

Redman received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (named for the former University of Louisville and Baltimore Colts star), which is presented each year to the nation's top senior quarterback.

Redman was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, guiding Louisville to seven come-from-behind wins and helping the Cardinals make their second consecutive bowl appearance.

[12] However, shortly into his arena football career, Bobby Petrino, the Atlanta Falcons new head coach, sought after his former college quarterback to be a backup.

In Week 12 on December 2, 2007, Redman replaced an ineffective Joey Harrington against the St. Louis Rams and completed 16 of 24 passes for 172 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, all in the fourth quarter, nearly bringing Atlanta back from a 21–3 deficit.

Redman had a disastrous Week 14, going 4 of 15 for 34 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble against Tampa Bay, and had been the last QB to have a 0 passer rating for that game until Peyton Manning did it in 2015.

In the season finale, Redman completed 17 of 27 passes for 251 yards with a career-high four touchdowns in the Falcons' 44–41 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on December 30, winning his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

[13] In Week 12 of the 2009 season, filling in for the injured Matt Ryan and playing for the first time since December 30, 2007, Redman led the Falcons to a dramatic comeback win against the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In a second consecutive start filling in for Ryan against the undefeated Saints, Redman was much sharper, completing 23 of 34 passes for 303 yards with one touchdown (a 50-yard post pattern to Michael Jenkins) and one interception in a 26–23 loss.