November 8th Marks An Exciting Day For Many Recruits
Four days from now will be the start of an exciting period for many high school student-athletes around the country. For most sports, it is National Signing Day which kicks off the national signing period.
If you have received a verbal offer from a division I or II institution this can be your chance to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) if you are able to.
Here are a few details to know about signing day and signing periods that can give you a better understanding of the process.
What is a National Letter Of Intent (NLI)?
The NLI is a binding agreement between a college and a student-athlete. When this is signed it means that the student-athlete has agreed to attend the specific school for one academic year and that the college will provide athletic financial aid for one academic year.
NLI is not affiliated with the NCAA, it was created by the Collegiate Commissioners Association to protect both the student-athlete and the institution from one side backing out of the agreement.
Not every school participates in the NLI program and not all student-athletes sign an NLI. In fact, close to 50,000 student-athletes sign NLI’s each year.
When you sign an NLI it means you are committing to one year at that school and the school is promising the agreed upon financial aid package for one year. Once you sign an NLI it means no other school can continue to recruit you so it officially ends your recruiting process.
Signing an NLI is voluntary as it is not required when accepting a verbal scholarship offer.
What If I am attending a Division III school?
If you are planning on competing at the division III level you can also participate in a signing day if your school is having one.
Division III has unofficial letters to sign called Celebratory Signing Form. Unlike the NLI, It is a non-binding form that you can sign after you have been accepted to the college so that you can join in on the signing celebration.
In order to receive a Celebratory Signing Form you need to contact the coach at your intended college and ask them to email you the form. Each school’s athletics department has their own form that student-athletes can sign.
The one major part of NLI’s to understand that it is still contingent on getting accepted into the school. So make sure you are keeping up with grades and staying on top of your academics even as you look to sign on the dotted line.
For those of you who are about to enter the signing period and have chosen a college, congratulations!