Hello CC Community! I have a son who will be starting his Junior year and plays football (tight end). He’s still growing (currently 6’5" 215lbs), hasn’t fully developed, and still working through mobility and coordination “issues”.
A trainer out of Pennsylvania recently suggested that we to look into a “13th year” program/school to give him more time and experience to develop before going off to college. I haven’t been able to find much information via Google searches on what that really means. Hoping the knowledge of CC can shed some light on what the “13th year” entails and how it could be beneficial for a kid who wants to play D1 ball.
You answered your own question: “He’s still growing (currently 6’5” 215lbs), hasn’t fully developed, and still working through mobility and coordination “issues”."
Commonly called a PG year, it as doing a post-grad year at a private HS, usually a boarding school, to allow the student to develop another year. They take a full schedule of senior year courses, although some schools have PG specific courses, which will not repeat any courses taken at the old HS.
He’s suggesting a prep school, which I understand is basically your son reclassifying his graduation year but has already used his high school eligibility (for most if not all states) and so he goes to a prep school (boarding school) for that 5th year and they play in a ‘prep school league’. IMG Academy calls it a post grad year and I think their schedule is supposed to be more reflective of that. But either way it is a cost investment, the benefit is he maintains his NCAA 4yr eligibility whereas if he graduated and went to play at a JUCO (junior college) he would be using a year of eligibility.
He was likely referring to a PG (Post Graduate) year that is relatively common at prep schools. Most commonly PGs are athletes who need to strengthen their academic profile and/or grow a bit. From a practical stand point, they are part of the Senior class, but are officially PGs.
If you want to stay in the Mid-Atlantic, look at schools like Peddie, Lawrenceville and Mercersberg, but you can expand into the NE Prep Schools.
Since your son is a rising Junior, another common option (and not just for athletes) is to repeat Junior year when entering Prep School. These schools typically don’t accept 12th graders, so students will reclassify, enter as Juniors, and stay at the school for 2 years. IMO this is a better route if you know you will do the extra year ahead of time. Either way, your move would be to reach out to coaches at various schools and discuss your situation.
Look for PG threads in the Prep School forum and ask your questions there. Lots of people will be familiar with this.
I missed the part that OP’s kid is a rising junior. And I agree that repeating junior year at a prep school is a better option for the reasons that it improves quality of recs (particularly if the recruiting doesn’t pan out) and access to superior college counseling.
Also agreeing about reclassing Jr. year. As stated above, they will have better recs, more targeted college counseling, more time to work with the AD, and they can also add some rigor to their schedule through additional AP courses if they are offered.
Cheshire Academy is a good school to target and has realistic admission chances.
You might want to ask the moderators to move this to the prep school forum.
One thing you might fo is look at the colleges you think you might want to target and see where the kids on their roster went to high school. Mercersburg, for example, plays 8 man football so is a tougher transition to college than schools with a more traditional program. Canterbury, Taft, Hun, Exeter – are all pretty different in a lot of ways, and are unlikely to equally address your wants, but they represent a wide enough range that they could help you figure out what fit might be right.
You have the option of repeating junior year or of doing a PG year. Both will have the same graduation date, but they’ll be different experiences. If you love your current football program, PG at a school with a more competitive team could make sense. Otoh, two years could provide a really great academic foundation and your son might chafe less at having to abide by high school rules for a PG year when his friends are off to college, independence, and the opportunity to make certain decisions without punishment.
It’s not that uncommon a path, especially for kids who are academic and love the game but are not Ohio State material, to make themselves as competitive as possible to get recruiting attention and the “go to the front of the line” benefits that come with it.
It’s always been a thing in the more rural schools in the Midwest because it doesn’t require such large squads. I believe it may have become more popular recently, especially outside that region, as the dangers of concussions have become known and fewer kids have been playing. (Mercersberg’s website says 1100 schools play 8 man.) Players certainly go on to play college ball, but for someone who is picking a school to increase their odds of college recruitment, it might be a consideration.
Thank you all who contributed and provided insight. Now knowing about Post-Graduate (PG) after High School opened a whole new world in Google search responses (and thus rabbit holes to go down)!
But really DO considero what reclassifying brings to the table.
That would mean applying by January, but no final decision needs to be made until April. This, of course, will give you time to consider how the football season goes and also conversions with college coaches this fall.
Also, roster reductions are coming for P4 conferences, and talented athletes will be pushed to other conferences where some won’t make it on academics. Still, recruiting will be even more competitive. Making sure school is a priority is more important than ever.
Adding to all those headwinds is the transfer portal which has dramatically decreased recruiting opportunities for HS football players (other sports too.)
The other thing to consider, whether you make the move in 11th grade or PG year, you have to make sure it’s likely the kid is going to be playing, and ideally be a standout. It can be a tough needle to thread.
