This is yet another warm and fuzzy story about NCAA recruiting. Apparently, there is a little loophole in the NCAA eligibility rules that sometimes makes it advantageous for recruits to fail out of school in their senior year. They then reenroll at some prep school, get their grades up and voila, they’re eligible!
Here’s a nice quote from the article concerning soon-to-be ACC member Boston College:

Jones’s mother, Shannon, said she was advised by Boston College assistant coach Keith Willis and the coach at the Connecticut prep school at which Jones eventually would enroll that it would be in her son’s best interest not to graduate from high school. Andre Jones said he intentionally failed English during the second semester of his senior year to not meet graduation requirements.

Student-athletes indeed.