As of Oct. 9, the NCAA approved the removal of the National Letter of Intent program. The vastly known NLI’s elimination has ended a 60 year tradition in college recruiting. National Signing Day is a big deal for committed collegiate athletes, so what will the removal of the letter do to the future of college sports?
For those who don’t know, the National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between the student athlete and the college for their first academic year of college. By signing the document on National Signing Day, the student officially commits to their prospective college for one year and the school must support the athlete financially for one year. This document was brought into the world of collegiate sports all the way back in 1964 and is used in hundreds of NCAA institutions across the nation.
The rigid structure that the NLI followed was becoming increasingly outdated in the modern day which led to its ultimate demise. With the elimination of the NLI, athletes are now able to hold more power over the contract that binds them, especially in their first year. Athletes may be able to have the ability to transfer within their first year if there are concerns regarding playing time, classes, the coach, or even just the team. Athletes may now be able to earn more money in scholarships and brand deals while they’re still in college as well. This overall would be a good thing because athletes will now have more power in the contract that binds them to their university.
Will signing day still be a thing even with the removal of the NLI? The answer is yes! Even without the official NLI document, schools will provide a similar binding agreement to their incoming athletes. The contracts may now contain specific agreements that can vary from athlete to athlete which weren’t included in the pre-existing NLI. The new and improved documents could bring forth a change towards college sports becoming more professionalized than before. The more business minded approach to recruiting can benefit both the school and the athlete more due to communications and agreements being more flexible and personal. Both the athletes and the college will feel more comfortable with the agreement due to it being a mutual decision.
What’s next for college sports still remains a mystery regarding the set terms of the new binding agreements, but the future is bright. This new era would be able to help student athletes feel more comfortable with what they’re agreeing to, and give them more freedom within their contracts. Of course committing to an institution is a big deal that takes many hours of consideration, but this could bring more appeal to the world of college sports.
