All the Reasons to do a Post Graduate Semester (Valley State.org)

geneticsadmin — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 09:57:20 +0000

Prep schools an option for football players who don’t sign on National Signing Day

FULL ARTICLE

https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/2736/prep-schools-an-option-for-football-players-who-don-t-sign-on-national-signing-day

By Keith Grabowski | Posted 2/14/2018

While National Signing Day has come and gone, there are players still looking for their opportunity after not receiving an offer. Division I spots may be hard to come by, but there are plenty of ways an athlete can continue their career in college and even receive that desired scholarship.

Other options exist for players looking to compete at the next level:

NCAA Division II, Division III or NAIA
Junior college
Postgraduate school

A student-athlete who was close to an offer, but just missed out, can still work toward creating that opportunity at a postgraduate school. Also called prep schools, they have several advantages:

The scholarship-capable athlete can go to school for one more semester to find a scholarship option.
Choosing a postgraduate preparatory school preserves eligibility. It’s one semester of school compared to two at a junior college. At the junior college level, two years of eligibility are used.
It allows for a mid-year enrollment at a four-year school.
The athlete can play a position different than what they did in high school. Maybe they were in an offense that didn’t showcase their talents, and the prep option might do that.
They can develop maturity by being in a college setting and be prepared to take on the schedule of a college athlete.

Ryan Williams of Jireh Preparatory Academy (Matthews, North Carolina) indicates all postgraduate options aren’t the same. Specifically, he said the notion that postgraduate schools are strictly for student-athletes with academic or behavior issues is a myth.

“The fact is, you don’t really know why each kid is there, because it’s different for each one of them,” Williams said. “He may be there because he suffered an injury and he needs another year to show his ability. Another kid might be there to improve his test score. It’s different for everyone.”

Williams identified the following types of postgraduate programs:

Club junior college teams: These play under a community college name but are private teams. Eligibility is based on whether the student takes a full course load. Once that happens, the eligibility clock starts. Club teams typically play other club or junior college teams.
High school preparatory team: These schools usually take in high-aptitude students looking to attend an Ivy League or higher academic institution. They’re there to improve their test score or grades to be able to have that opportunity. These are one-year programs and the student doesn’t lose eligibility.
College preparatory school: These are one-semester programs. Eligibility is preserved. They typically play a college junior varsity schedule and college prep teams.

Williams noted that his school creates an opportunity the student-athlete didn’t have out of high school. Between 75-80 percent of his roster finds placement on a four-year college roster.

While this isn’t the traditional track, it gives an option to those who were close to the opportunity they wanted on Signing Day but came up just short.

Why You Should Consider Post-Grad Prep School for Football

geneticsadmin — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:08:14 +0000

Article Written by http://www.stack.com/a/football-prep-school

(We do not endorse this content (Is used as a mere reference) 2014 Article)

You’re a football player whose senior year of high school is drawing to an end, and you’re planning to head off to college. But before you finalize your plans, think about this. Going to college right away may not be the best option for you, especially as an athlete. You might benefit more by holding off college for a year to attend a post-grad program.

Here are a few athletes whose names you may recognize who attended post-grad prep schools and went on to have athletic success in college and the pros.

Eddie George (1995 Heisman winner): attended Fork Union Military Academy for post-grad.
Vinny Testaverde (All-American, 1986 Heisman winner): also attended Fork Union Military Academy for post-grad.
Larry Kelley (1936 Heisman winner): attended Peddie School for post-grad.
Tony Woods (former NFL linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Redskins): attended Seton Hall Preparatory School for post-grad.

What exactly is post-grad prep school?

A post-grad prep school, simply put, provides another year of secondary school before moving on to college. It is considered a fifth year of high school. Athletes do not lose their college playing eligibility like they do by playing at the junior college level. Some schools, like East Coast Prep and Jireh Prep, allow students to graduate in December and declare them eligible for college in January. This makes an athlete more attractive to college coaches and helps him get acclimated to college before fall practice begins.

It’s hard to argue with the results. East Coast Prep sent football players from this year’s team to the University of Illinois, Marshall University, and Western Michigan University. In the past few years, Jireh Prep has sent athletes to West Virginia, Syracuse, Wake Forest, San Diego State and Colorado State, to name a few.

Reasons why athletes choose post-grad prep school

1. Academics

Some athletes have GPA or core class requirements to fill, and others need to improve their ACT or SAT scores. For the 2013 football season, Jireh Prep brought in 43 athletes who weren’t qualified to play at a four-year school. As of today, 35 of them are fully qualified, and eight are waiting on test scores to find out the status of their eligibility. Jireh Prep head coach Scott McConnell credits the school’s strong test prep lessons and fully accredited curriculum for the success of his student-athletes.

2. No offers. Now what?

Some players just need time to get a little better. Skill development is a huge focus for these schools. They don’t have high school or NCAA time restraints and they are able to spend ample time on weight training and field practice to develop their athletes.

3. Damaged Goods

College coaches can pull a scholarship offer or never extend one to an injured athlete. A year of post-grad allows the athlete to recover, build his strength back and show coaches he is 100 percent healthy.

4. I Played Quarterback in High School

High school athletes are put in position to help their team win, not necessarily the best place for them to get recruited or succeed at the college level. The most common position change involves former high school quarterbacks. The quarterback is often the best athlete on his team. He might be 5-foot-9 with great footwork and a knack for making plays. But it can be tough for a college coach to project where this athlete might succeed in college. A post-grad program can help him prove he can play another position.

The future of post-grad football

There’s no telling how big post-grad football can become. According to East Coast Prep Director of Operations Dick Bell, the school has received 900 applications for the 2014 season and has only 55 spots available. Other prep schools report similar numbers. These schools will continue to grow, and more programs will pop up. The market is too big for it not to happen.

Interested? Here are some post-grad schools and their locations.

Read More:

Pat Curran – Pat Curran is the Chief Operating Officer of the high school athletic recruiting website, Webletes.com. He was a standout high school football player and college athlete at both Bowling Green State University and Ashland University (Ohio). After his playing career, he coached for a number of years i