It’s beneficial if injuries interfered with recruiting. Or if a kid is a late bloomer and his abilities are on the rise.
If a kid attends a prep school the NCAA clock doesn’t start ticking.
If a kid plays at a JuCo the five to play four clock starts ticking. He loses a year of eligibility.
Sometimes kids attend JuCos because they’re not good students and aren’t NCAA eligible.
Sometimes kids prep a year at high academic preps to make sure they can amp up their academic ability before entering a high academic college. This occurs more often with basketball and baseball.
If a kid is only looking to physically develop and/or develop skills but not play attending a JuCo as a part time student doesn’t start the clock.
There are viable situations for all these options.