After eighth grade, most student-athletes prepare for the transition to high school, which is normally more challenging both academically and athletically.

For a growing number of young people, the end of eighth grade leads to a counterintuitive new adventure: the start of eighth grade, again.

In New Jersey, the unofficial practice “redshirting” – repeating eighth grade to become more physically and mentally prepared for for high school – appears to be on the rise, as documented in this thorough report by NJ.com.

One New Jersey lawmaker thinks that athletes repeating eighth grade for the purpose of athletic advantage is nothing short of cheating.

State Sen. Richard Codey has proposed a bill that will penalize students who repeat sixth, seventh or eighth grade despite being academically on track to advance.

“Right now, it’s not cheating, but we know it is,” Codey told NJ.com. “It’s trying to game the system.

Many top athletes in recent years from the Garden State have redshirted, including NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Karl Anthony Towns and Josh McKenzie, a Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) football standout who captured MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors in the fall.

While some parents might argue that their children need another year of middle school to mature socially and better prepare for the transition to high school in other non-athletic capacities, Codey believes that athletics is driving the trend.

“It’s clear in 99 percent of these cases it’s being done for athletic advantage,” Codey said. “This phenomenon has been around, but it’s to me, anecdotally, growing by leaps and bounds.”

Codey’s proposal will have athletes who redshirt lose a year of high school eligibility, meaning that in most cases, after their junior season, they would be ineligible to participate in sports.

Opponents of the bill question how Codey can attempt to dictate to parents decisions that directly impact their children and feel that the bill limits a family’s choice in how best to navigate the transition between middle school and high school.

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Whether the NJSIAA should focus on this issue or how it would police and enforce such a policy is another issue being debated.

The bill initially passed in the state Senate by a vote of 33-1 but was held in Assembly, forcing Codey to restart the process.

With the start of the fall sports season less than two months away, it appears that, at least for now, redshirting will continue.