By signing an NLI, a prospective student-
athlete agrees to attend the designated
college or university for one academic year.
Pursuant to the terms of the NLI program,
participating institutions agree to provide
athletics financial aid for one academic year
to the student-athlete, provided he/she is
admitted to the institution and is eligible
for financial aid under NCAA rules. An
important provision of the NLI program is a
recruiting prohibition that is applied after a
prospective student-athlete signs a letter of
intent. This prohibition requires that
participating institutions cease recruitment
of a prospective student-athlete once an NLI
is signed with another institution.
The NLI has many advantages to both
prospective student-athletes and participating
educational institutions:
To promote and preserve the amateur nature
of collegiate athletics.
Golf Recruits and the
NLI
Prospective student-athletes in the sport of
golf have two windows of opportunity for
signing an NLI. The early signing period
lasts for one week in mid-November. In 2003,
the dates were November 12 through 19. The
second opportunity—late signing—begins in mid-
April. For 2004, the dates are April 14
through August 1.
Most of the top nationally ranked juniors sign
an NLI during the early signing period.
Typically, these student-athletes take several
official visits in the fall (limit is five)
before deciding which college is best for
them. Coaches usually offer these recruits a
scholarship late in the summer or during their
official visit in the fall.
If five coaches all recruit the same prospect
during the summer and fall and the prospect
then signs early (November), four new
opportunities will become available for other
prospects during the late signing period.
Oftentimes, a prospect will realize his/her
best offer during the late signing period as a
result of basic supply and demand
principles.
The goal for each prospect is to find
his/her “best fit” situation as it relates to
selecting a college and golf program. If the
process continues through the winter/spring
months and the prospect does not sign until
April, everything will work out fine as long
as the student is happy with his/her final
decision. Sometimes a prospect is rushed and
does not have the time to carefully consider
all of his/her options by November. This is
one of the most important decisions in a young
person’s life and one that the student-athlete
will have to live with for at least four, if
not five, years.
Student-athletes also need to make sure they
are selecting the best college from an
academics perspective. Some recruits sign
early before they have been officially
admitted to the university they are signing
with. This early action can result in a
problem if the student fails to score high
enough on the SAT or ACT or if the student’s
grade point average is too low to be
admitted. In these cases, late signing—after
the student has been admitted to the
university—makes the most sense.
Remember, the ultimate goal for a prospect is
to select a university where he/she can
succeed both athletically and academically.
To attain this goal, a prospect may have to
defer his/her NLI signing until April. Be
patient throughout the process and the right
opportunity will surface whether in November
or April.
Coach Brooks
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