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Before reading this article, please visit the National
Letter of Intent website to
familiarize yourself with the NLI program.
The following introduction is based on
information contained on the NLI website.
Introduction
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:
- Once an NLI is signed, prospective student-
athletes are no longer subject to further
recruiting contacts and calls.
- Student-athletes are assured of an
athletics scholarship for one full academic
year. (If not for the NLI program, a student
could find his or her scholarship taken by a
more highly recruited student only weeks or
days before classes begin.)
- By emphasizing student-athletes’
commitments to educational institutions—not
particular coaches or teams—the program
focuses university athletics on educational
objectives. The program promotes student-
athletes’ academic objectives and helps to
sustain the amateur nature of college
sports.
Over the years, some of the terms of the NLI
agreement have changed, yet the program’s
basic goals have remained the same:
- To reduce and limit recruiting pressure on
student-athletes.
- 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. The second
opportunity—late signing—begins in mid-April and
last until August 1. Prospective
student-athletes are not able to sign an NLI
prior to their senior year in high school.
Most of the top nationally-ranked junior players
sign an NLI during the early signing period.
Typically, these student-athletes have made
verbal commitments to coaches at least six
months to a year (or more) prior to signing and
frequently will take an official visit to their
chosen school during the fall of their senior
year to celebrate their decision and to spend
time with their future team and coach.
If multiple coaches all recruit the same
prospect early on in the process and the
prospect decides to sign the NLI in November,
multiple new opportunities will become available
for other prospects during the late signing
period. Occasionally, 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 through rolling admissions—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
Red
Numbers Golf®
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