[Noble]

I have seen straight A student's held back for sports it is a huge advantage physically.This may make you look good in middle school but it will catch up to you. If I am a college coach and recruiting for 1 position say a quarterback and I am looking at 2 kids who are equally talented I will take the 17 year old over a 18 or 19 year old every time because I feel this kid may still have some growing to do physically & mentally. Just my opinion.

I think these will vary from coach to coach. Many of the college coaches I know prefer the older kids for many reasons. I have known a few students who were hold backs that benefitted from being older their senior year. I know a couple who would not have gotten any looks from college if they had been a year younger but that extra year of maturity (both physical and mental) helped them catch the eye of a recruiter. There are many kids who do not fully mature until they are 18 or 19 and if they were 17 year old seniors they would be overlooked and most colleges are not going to take a chance on a kid because they have no idea what they are going to be like in a year or two. If they are 18 or 19 they know what they are getting. Of course if you are a stud at 16 or 17 it doesn't really matter but there are a lot of players out there who are fringe players that may or may not being able to compete at college who do not fully come out till 18 or 19.