Football rules on Letter of Intent & Scholarships: How does it work?
By Kelli Anne
Only 2% of high school athletes ever get a college scholarship. That’s a ridiculously small number. So what does it really mean to sign a letter? Does that mean an automatic scholarship? The deadlines are all talked about but what does it really mean?
National Letter of Intent. Yes, there are rules to this process. It’s a binding agreement between the college and the prospective student athlete where the student agrees to attend school full time (2 semesters) and the college agrees to provide financial aid for 1 academic year (2 semesters). So if the student backs out, the penalty is that they have to sit out a year before they can compete in sports for a different school in the same division. Plus this also ends the recruiting process for the prospect with all other competing schools. What it really does is it takes the prospect out of the recruiting game. It’s meant to make it easier on the prospect and take the pressure off.
The Pride of all Nebraska as they head into the stadium (Photo Kelli Anne)
February 4, 2015 is the next Initial signing date for Football, and April 1st being the Final date. The same rules apply to Junior College transfers but the initial signing date is December 17, 2014 and final signing date of January 15, 2015.
Scholarship: Don’t confuse an athletic scholarship with the letter though. You can get a scholarship without signing the letter. It’s just not typically done that way. Tuition, fees, room, board and required course-related books are covered by the scholarship. It can be a one year or multiyear offer, however the school MUST notify the student by JULY 1 in writing if it is going to be renewed. A student athlete can qualify for and receive a federal Pell Grant in addition to their scholarship.
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Bonus info: Official versus Unofficial visit: Basically it all boils down to what is paid for by the college. In an unofficial visit, 3 tickets to a home sports event are provided. If it’s an OFFICIAL visit, the college will pay for and provide transportation to and from the college, lodging, 3 meals per day, “reasonable entertainment” including 3 tickets to a home sports event for both the prospect and a guardian.
Now you know why the official ones are media worthy. Look for a lot of chatter come February regarding the recruits. It’s important to lock them into the program and the deadlines are fast approaching. Stay tuned to Husker Corner and GO BIG RED!