Congratulations to those prospects who have committed to a school and will have the opportunity to sign a National Letter of Intent with their NCAA Division I or II future school starting November 9.
Here are some NLI general reminders and points to keep in mind:
Signing the National Letter of Intent commits the athlete to attend the school they sign with for one full academic year in exchange for receiving an athletic scholarship. If an athlete withdraws from school before completing one academic year, they might incur penalties upon transfer to another school, unless the school they signed with releases them. (This release is different than a release to speak with other schools about a transfer – two separate processes.)
The NLI must be accompanied by a financial aid agreement from the school the prospect will sign with. If both documents are not signed, the NLI will not be valid. Be sure to confirm that the financial aid agreement reflects the same amount of athletic scholarship that was offered during the recruiting process.
Coaches are not permitted to deliver the National Letter of Intent in person. Also, coaches are not permitted to be present when the prospect signs the NLI. The family of a prospect will sometimes ask if the coach can be present so they can get a picture together when their son or daughter signs the NLI. This is ok for Junior Colleges or NAIA schools, but not for NCAA coaches.
The financial aid agreement commits the school to provide an athletic scholarship to the athlete for one academic year. Athletes must be notified by July 1st each year whether their athletic scholarship will be renewed for the same amount, increased, decreased, or cancelled for the upcoming academic year. If an athlete’s scholarship is reduced or cancelled, the athlete must be notified by the school that a hearing opportunity is available to them.
Prospects who are planning to play both football and another sport at the college level (applies to both Division I and II) should not sign with their school until the football signing period in February. A number of years ago, some schools tried to get an advantage by having football recruits sign in other sports during the November signing period. That loophole was closed, and now football players or true dual-sport athletes who sign in November will be ineligible for practice and competition in football during their freshman year, and will forfeit a season of competition.
It’s permissible to “double sign” with an NCAA school and a Junior College. That’s somewhat common since some players want to “lock in” with an NCAA program, but also may want to attend Junior College to have an opportunity to be drafted after freshman year. (The Junior College signing date for baseball is January 15.)
Players who sign with an NCAA school, but start out at a junior college, need to keep in mind that the National Letter of Intent that they signed with the NCAA school remains binding on them until they graduate from the Junior College. Athletes who sign with NCAA school A, but change their mind and want to attend NCAA school B after junior college, will still be bound to NCAA school A if they want to transfer before completing their Associates degree. The other option is to obtain a complete release from the National Letter of Intent.
If you’re interested in individual assistance with questions about recruiting, eligibility, financial aid, or transfer rules, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or 918-994-7272.
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How are schools allowed to release signed nli athletes before they start college?
Hi Steve,
As I read your question, I’m not sure if you are asking what the steps are for a signed athlete to request a release, or if a coach is wanting to release a signed athlete because of oversigning.
Regardless, there is a release request form that is available from the school that the athlete signed with. Or, if you want me to make the form available to you, send me an e-mail at the address on our website.
Rick
my son signed an NLI in November to play baseball, got a good scholarship but because it a very expensive school will be stuck with $22,000 in private and federal student loans just for Freshman year, he is having second thoughts and thinks it better to go to Junior college.
Can he get out of NLI with school saying its a financial hardship?
Hi Debbie,
Your son can approach the coaches and ask if they will release him from the NLI under the circumstances. However, it’s up to the school as to whether they’ll agree to do that. But he doesn’t even need to do that if he’s going to a JUCO instead. Be sure to read his NLI document and review how an athlete in his situation can still be bound to attend the school he originally signed with, even after attending a JUCO.
Rick
My son signed a full ride scholarship to attend a Big Ten school. Since the time of the signing, the coaches have left (got jobs elsewhere). He does not want to attand the school since the coaches have changed. Is it possible to “change his mind” now, with school starting in 2 months? (I.e. Go to a different school even though he signed?)
Hi Christine,
It is possible to request a release from the National Letter of Intent. The school your son signed with would need to agree to it. If they don’t agree to it, your son can submit an Appeal Request Form to the National Letter of Intent office. However, keep in mind that it may be difficult for your son to find another offer like the one he has in hand at this late stage, not to mention that the school may not agree to the release because it would be hard for them to find another quality recruit to take your son’s place in this recruiting class.
Good luck,
Rick
Rick, my daughter signed a letter of intent, but is a multi-sport athlete and wants to pursue another sport at the same institution. What are the restrictions against her contacting another coach at the same school? The two sports are in the same season – so she can’t do both. Thanks!
Hi Martha,
There are no NCAA restrictions against contacting another coach at the same school. However, she really needs to talk to the head coach of the sport that recruited and signed her, before she talks to the other coaching staff. Depending upon the relationships between the coaches in those two sports, the coach of the second sport might not accept her on the team, because it would be taking a recruit away from the first sport with very little time to recruit a quality replacement. She should consider sticking with the original sport for one year, and then making the switch if she still wants to.
Rick
My daughter signed with a NAIA school to play basketball and now has an offer from a NCAA DI school can she be released from the NAIA to sign with the NCAA school?
Hi Jim,
The NAIA letter of intent is totally separate and apart from the National Letter of Intent that NCAA schools use, so no release is necessary. However, you should consider being up front with the NAIA school and letting them know what you’re daughter is planning to do. That way you’re not burning any bridges in case something happens in the future and she wants to transfer to that NAIA school.
Rick
I was recruited to run Cross Country and track at URI. However my senior year outdoor track season went terribly. I dont know if i want to continue running in college anymore but i already signed.. Is it too late to quit?
Hi Ashley,
That’s really unfortunate that your high school track career ended on a bad note. Perhaps you’ll regain your enthusiasm after taking a break from the sport. If you feel that you’re burned out and want to quit, you can do that at any time. However, keep in mind some possible consequences that may affect you if you change your mind in a year or so, and desire to get back into the sport.
1. If you are going to receive an athletic scholarship from URI this year, they will have you sign a “voluntary withdrawal” form to give up your scholarship.
2. If you stay at URI, and decide to compete next year or the year after, the coach may question your commitment and may treat you differently than other team members.
3. If you go to a school other than URI this year, and then decide to compete at your “new school” next year, there could be eligibility penalties if you signed a National Letter of Intent with URI and didn’t honor your commitment to attend there and participate in athletics for one year.
Be sure to thoroughly think through your decision. Good luck!
Rick
My daughter signed with a D 1 basketball program, but decided this was not for her after beginning school and beginning practice but she played in no games. She now wants to drop down a division and play and I presume needs to request some sort of release to begin contacting other schools. Is this a release from the NLI or a release from the scholarship, since she has not played at the college level yet? Thanks!
Hi Tom,
I think it would be best if we talk on the phone so I can get some additional information on your daughter’s situation. This will allow me to provide the most appropriate information. I will follow up with a personal e-mail to you.
Rick
Dear Rick,
I appreciate the info on your site. My son signed a D2 NLI to play basketball, while still playing (currently) his senior football season. He has now been approached by a D1 school to play football. However the D1 school has not offered a scholarship, only the opportunity to come as a preferred walk on. The thought of playing D1 football is so compelling that he is seriously thinking of applying to the D1 school, so that he may play football.
However, is he locked into the D2 commitment? Though it is a different level and a different sport? If he pursues the D1 opportunity, what happens to his eligibility?
Hi Steve,
Your son is locked into the Div. II basketball commitment unless that school will give him a complete release from the NLI. Division I and II schools use the same NLI form and have the same requirements. As far as what happens to his eligibility, review the NLI document your son signed. It should list what the penalty is if he doesn’t attend the Div. II school for his freshman year.
Good luck,
Rick
Dear Rick,
My daughter is being offered a scholarship for volleyball at a Junior College (Div 1 NJCAA). This is the first offer, and they ask that we sign in 3 weeks. Club season starts in January. If she signs with the Junior College, can she accept an offer from a NCAA Div 1 or Div 2, or is she committed to the Junior College? What are the rules pertaining to getting accepting a scholarship at a 4-year college versus a Juco if you are already signed?
Thank you.
Hi Tim,
An athlete can sign a letter of intent with a Junior College and also sign one with an NCAA Div. I or II program. They are two completely different documents with one having no direct effect on the other.
Keep in mind, however, that the NCAA National Letter of Intent covers both Division I and II. In other words, you can’t sign an NCAA NLI with a Div. I school and then another one with a Div. II school. Congrats to your daughter on her first offer and good luck with her club season!
Rick
My son is in his third year of college. He is competing at the D1 level. He is a 85% athletic scholarship. Half way through his first semester, he quit the team. He later had a medical condition, had to leave school and has applied for medical withdraw from the univeristy (still pending approval).
He has since taken care of his medical issue and wants to sign up for the second semister at a different school. He would like to also try to earn a spot on the team at this new school.
Since he quit the team during his 1st semester, is he now eligible to compete for a different school in the second semister?
Hi Randy,
I’m assuming your son’s sport is baseball. If he transfers to another Div. I school for the second semester, he won’t be eligible to compete until Spring 2013. If he transfers to a Div. II or NAIA school, it’s possible that he could be eligible for the second semester, but he’ll probably need to apply for a medical absence waiver from the NCAA for his medical withdrawal this semester. Otherwise, his current school would not be able to certify that he would be eligible if he were returning rather than transferring elsewhere.
Good luck,
Rick
My brother-in-law played football at a JC. He just finished his Sophomore year & transferred to another community college closer to home to finish his classes & obtain an associates degree. Can he sign a NLI during the regular signing period? I believe it starts on Feb. 1
Hi Leonard,
Yes, your brother-in-law can sign a NLI during the football signing period, as long as he is registered with the Eligibility Center and has submitted his transcript and test scores to the school he will be signing with. Depending upon what level of football program he signs with, he should keep in mind that by attending more than one two-year college, he may be required to have at least 25% of his course requirements for academic eligibility come from the two-year college that awards his associates degree.
Rick
Hey Mr. Allen,
I have committed to play soccer for the United States Naval Academy but I’m not sure if the Academies have letter of intents since they’re all free. Will I still be able to attend my school’s signing day in February?
Hi Jackson,
Congratulations on your commitment to the Naval Academy! There’s no reason you can’t attend your school’s signing day in February, unless they have some rule that you have to be signing a scholarship offer. I’m sure you can sign something from the Academy even if it’s not a letter of intent. An acceptance of admission is one idea.
Good luck!
Rick
Mr Allen,
My son signed an NLI back in November with a division 1 baseball program. he is having second thoughts and was thinking about maybe going to a junior college instead. Does he need to file a release form and give to the coaches? or can he just go to the JUCO without doing that?
Rob,
Your son does not have to have a release from the Div. I program to go to a JUCO. However, it is advisable to ask for a release from his NLI commitment. Otherwise, the NLI that he signed with the Div. I program will still be binding on him unless he graduates from the JUCO before transferring to another Div. I university. If you need assistance with the NLI release, contact me directly at rick@informedathlete.com.
Good luck!
Rick
My son was a recruited walk on in the fall to a D1 program. Decided to transfer at the break to a Juco for baseball. He is now rostered at the juco, however is unsure if this is the right fit for him. He signed a Juco NLI for this season, however, if he decides he’d like to explore his other juco options, when is it safe and appropriate of him to contact other jucos for possibly the next year.
thanks
Hi Kathleen,
That depends largely upon how his spring is going with baseball. If he’s getting plenty of playing time, it’s probably best to wait until the end of the season. If the spring is not going well, and he’s sitting on the bench, then he can probably start contacting other Jucos earlier, because he doesn’t have as much to lose.
Keep in mind that baseball coaches tend to share a lot of information, and do it frequently. As soon as your son contacts another Juco about a possible transfer, the coach at that school is probably going to call your son’s current coach to ask about his background, both on and off the field. You can understand that this will hurt his playing time, as soon as his current coach finds out he’s not fully committed to the program.
Good luck to your son this spring!
Rick
If a person withdraws voluntarily, will he/she have to payback money for that academic semester
Hi Todd,
An athletic scholarship can be cancelled immediately if an athlete voluntarily withdraws from a team. Although it’s possible, it’s unlikely that a school would make an athlete repay the value of the scholarship that had already been utilized for that semester. In most cases, the athlete would simply not receive a prorated portion of the scholarship for the remainder of the semester.
WIth that said, however, I have seen agreements for summer school that state that the athlete must pay the full cost of a summer course if the athlete withdraws from the course or fails the course.
Rick
My daughter received a women’s soccer scholarship financial agreement document from an NAIA school and another one from a Junior College with a dead line to return the signed document, but my daughter really wants to play volleyball and had a verbal commitment with a NCAA Div II and we are awaiting for her to get accepted in that school and awaiting for the NLI which the coach said will be mail out in April 12. Can she signed the soccer offers pending the one from the volleyball offer?
?
Hi Mr. Solis,
Yes, your daughter can sign the soccer offers from the NAIA and the Junior College while waiting for the Div. II volleyball offer. You should let the other schools know of your daughter’s Div. II signing after she has signed that offer and been accepted to that university, so that the soccer coaches at the JUCO and the NAIA school can recruit other players to replace her in their recruiting classes.
Also, make sure your daughter has registered with both the NAIA and the NCAA Eligibility Centers so that she can be certified as eligible as soon as possible. This will allow both she and the schools that are recruiting here to be aware of her eligibility status.
Good luck!
Rick
Once an NCAA D1 NLI is signed, can the scholarship amount agreed on be increased in the athlete’s first year? For example, a track athlete runs a faster time in the spring of their senior year that would qualify him for more scholarship money based on the school’s guidelines. Can the scholarship amount be increased at this point or is it too late once the NLI and other paperwork is signed? I guess the general question is – is there any benefit for a spring sport athlete to hold off signing once they know which school they want to attend in order to possibly get more scholarship money in their first year? It seems that this may be important especially in a sport like track and field where there are specific times, heights, etc. for the athletes to attain to earn more money. And, since the coaches say that athletes can earn more once at their schools based on better performances at conference meets, etc. it seems it’d be important to start off with as much scholarship money as possible to hopefully add to. Thank you!
Hi Sally,
Your question is very timely as there is a new rule on this topic going into effect for Division I schools this Fall. Effective Aug. 1, for scholarships that will be applicable for the 2012-13 school year, scholarships can be increased for any reason at any time.
The rule has been that scholarships could be increased for athletic reasons as your example describes only before the term of the award begins (could be increased in summer, for example, before Fall semester starts). Once classes started, aid could only be increased for non-athletic reasons, such as a parent losing their job or a death or serious illness in the family.
This new rule will only apply to NCAA Division I programs. Division II will continue with the current rule described above.
Have a great weekend!
Rick
My son has received a scholarship offer from a JUCO in Illinois to play baseball in fall of 2012. They told him that they do not do a signing any more. We are concerned that there are no documents have the offer on it so we can be sure that there is a commitment from the school. Is this correct or should we be concerned that they may be waiting for “someone better” to come along?
Hi George,
The national governing body for JUCOs – the NJCAA – allows the signing of recruits to baseball scholarships beginning on Jan. 15. It is possible that the conference this school belongs to does things a bit differently (although conference rules cannot be any less restrictive than the NJCAA), but I can’t imagine them not having some sort of document to sign if they are offering your son a baseball scholarship. Frankly, I have to say that this sounds like they are waiting for “someone better” to come along.
You might consider going back to the coach and asking him why they do not offer written scholarships when the NJCAA permits them beginning Jan. 15. Other options are that you could contact the conference office to ask anonymously how their conference awards scholarships, you could ask another school within the same conference, or you could ask the AD at the school that made the scholarship offer. Be sure your son keeps his options open, and keeps an open mind about other schools if he hasn’t signed anything yet.
Good luck!
Rick
Mr. Allen,
I am very confused about my daughter’s situation and need your help. My daughter is currently a freshman DI soccer player on athletic scholarship. She was injured in August, 2011, during the team’s training period before the start of the semester and subsequently never played in any games during the season. At the beginning of second semester, she began having other medical issues and is now medically withdrawing from her classes (and soccer). I know the university will basically have her “on hold” while they await her return. That said, she doesn’t want to return to this university and she has valid reasons for not wanting to. What are her options regarding transferring to another DI program once she’s medically cleared? How or will the medical withdrawal affect her eligibility and in-residence waiting period? Will she have to sit out an entire year? If she completely withdraws from the current university and takes summer classes at a local junior college, should she go part time or full time (to try to make up some of the classes she’s missing from the medical withdrawal as well as have enough credits to transfer). I read that if she permanently leaves her current DI school and enrolls at the junior college, she actually has to graduate with her associates degree before she can try to move on to another DI program. I have been trying to find this exact information on the NCAA website but I can’t find our exact situation. program. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Kaylynn,
Sorting out your daughter’s situation will be more appropriate for a private consultation. I’ll send you a direct e-mail.
Rick
Mr. Allen,
My son is currently under a NLI at a Div 2 school playing baseball.(No scholarship $$). As a freshman, he is not playing at all, and just applied at another school for the fall, just to see if he could get accepted before the application deadline,(not to play baseball), just as a student. Is that OK?, and if his coach find out about the application/transcript request
is that something we should be worried about? He hasn’t completely decided if he is going to leave, but we had to get the info in by deadline. Did we do anything wrong?
Hi Jan,
First off, I know this is not the main point of your question, but for your info and any of our other readers looking at this blog – if your son signed an NLI without an athletic scholarship, it is/was not a valid NLI. An NLI must be accompanied by an athletic scholarship agreement in order to be valid.
If your son applied to another school as a regular student and has had no contact with the baseball coaches at that school, he’s done nothing wrong according to NCAA rules. His coach may not see it that way however. I would do what you can to make sure the coach doesn’t find out, but if he does, be sure to explain that your son has had no contact with the athletic department at the other school and is not even sure if he’s going to continue to play.
If the school your son applied to is in the same athletic conference as his current school, be aware that some conferences have intraconference transfer rules that may impact his eligibility if he is considering playing at another school in the same conference.