17 hours ago, JellyRoll said:

I've seen 26 year olds still playing college football. If you think an 18-19 year old coming into college can compete with that then your wrong.

They also changed the rule a few years ago that if a MS kid was held back he couldn't play sports the following year. I agree that the covid year has caused an unfair advantage across the state. Look at the state championship games last year. I believe that 3 of the 6 state champions, maybe 4 had a 5th year senior QB/RB that completely dominated those games. Beechwood, Belfry, Boyle. Not saying those schools wouldn't have still won it but there is no denying what those players did on the field in those games.

It's almost like those three times are traditionally successful year in and year out. 

17 hours ago, DanJack said:

He’s 13 years old. There was a ton of 15 year old kids playing travel ball all summer as 7 graders. 

If this is the case, they will be ineligible to play sports in KY as seniors. The 19 year old rule never changed.

You cannot disregard the mental edge a 5th year senior has over a middle school holdback playing a normal 4 years of high school football and his/her first senior season. The impact of fifth year seniors last fall was as much of a mental advantage as it was a physical advantage. I do think the impact of the kids who took a covid year will lessen over the next couple years and be a moot point in 3 years because the mental advantage will be gone. It will become just like the middle school hold backs that have been taking place for years.

No one can blame kids for taking advantage of this law if they chose to do so considering most just piled up college credits for a semester and then left in January, but you also cannot disregard the impact they had on their teams last fall. The Belfry running back and the Beechwood quarterback were the highest profile and men amongst boys his first senior year, so obviously a second senior year made them even more dominant. It totally benefitted these two young men in particular because they got college opportunities they would not have been afforded otherwise. You had teams like Russellville who had around nine fifth year seniors including two seniors that played their first senior season at Logan County. There is no chance they play for a title last year without those kids. 

Overall, the law benefitted kids and programs that were allowed to take advantage of it in a major way, but the impact will not be as great this year or any years that follow.