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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: SIGNING DAY
Here at NCSA, we believe in the power of recruiting education. The recruiting process has been rapidly changing over the past 10+ years, and knowing how the process works today can mean the difference between earning a scholarship and not competing in college. To help set you up for success, we’ve put together some valuable tips for Signing Day!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
SIGNING DAY: THE PROCESS RECEIVING AN OFFER Leading into Signing Day, you need to know exactly where you stand as a prospective student athlete. Your goal is to have multiple offers so that you can make your college decision by the signing period. If you have been receiving serious interest from a college coach and have not yet received an offer, there are ways to ask the coach if you will be receiving an athletic scholarship. If you haven’t taken one there already, ask if you would be a good candidate for an official visit. Official visits are typically reserved for serious recruits and often result in an offer. You can also ask the coach directly where they see you fitting into their program. Ask the coach if they see you as a potential scholarship athlete or walk-on athlete.
SIGNING DAY & SIGNING PERIODS As a high school athlete, Signing Day is the culmination of everything you’ve been working so hard for over the past 4 years. Signing Day is the first day you’re allowed to sign the National Letter of Intent (NLI) to commit to an NCAA DI or DII university on an athletic scholarship. National Signing Day is the most publicized signing day, beginning the regular signing period for football as well as 5 other sports. Each sport typically has two signing days, one for the early signing period and one for the regular signing period. Most athletes end up signing on Signing Day of the regular period or shortly after. Division III, NAIA and JUCO’s allow you to commit at any time and do not have set signing periods. Here is a breakdown of all signing dates for this year’s grad class:
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: SIGNING DAY
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
SIGNING DAY: THE PROCESS CONT. NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT AND COMMITMENT LETTERS The National Letter of Intent is the legally binding contract you sign on Signing Day that guarantees your athletic scholarship to the university you’re committing to for a minimum of one full academic year. If your scholarship is for more than one year, signing the NLI this one time guarantees your athletic scholarship – provided you remain in good academic standing and stay out of trouble socially. Since Signing Day and the NLI pertain only to athletic scholarships, you will not sign an NLI at the Division III level or if you are not receiving athletic money from the university. Though it is not legally binding, a DIII program might have you sign a Commitment Letter in place of an NLI. The Commitment Letter is simply a formality, but is a great way to celebrate your commitment the same way you would signing an NLI. If you have been in contact with a college coach that has offered you an athletic scholarship, the coach will send you the appropriate paperwork come Signing Day. The documentation will come to you through the postal service or through your high school guidance office. On Signing Day (or during the signing period), you will need to fill out all required fields of the NLI, fax the paperwork to the coach or the admissions department at the university and call the coach to let them know you’ve done so.
SIGNING AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TIPS OF THE TRADE STAY INFORMED Ask your coach or Athletic Director if your high school will be putting on a Signing Day event. Make sure to tell them where you’ll be committing and that you’d like to be included in the event.
Depending on your high school, how many athletes will be signing with you and where everyone will be committing, your high school may put on an event to sign your NLI. A school’s Signing Day event can be as small as you, your family and your coach in a coach’s office or as big as a high school assembly in the gymnasium. If your school is putting on an event, it is usually coordinated by your high school coach and the Athletic Director. Whether you’re publically signing an NLI or privately signing a Commitment Letter, let our Recruiting Coaches know once you make your college decision. We’d like to celebrate with you and update your profile for other college coaches to see.
AFTER YOU SIGN Once you sign an NLI, you are considered a member of that college program. You are no longer subject to further recruiting contacts or calls from other programs, you must maintain your grades and stay out of trouble through the end of your senior year of high school and you are expected to participate in any summer training with the college team. When you talk to the college coach after signing your NLI, the coach will congratulate you and explain what is expected of you moving forward. For more detailed information on everything recruiting, from communicating with coaches to financial aid, visit the Resource Library under the Recruiting 101 tab in your RMS or contact our Recruiting Coach team (email: recruitinghelp@ncsasport.org Phone: 877-845-6272).
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: SIGNING DAY
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For more detailed information on everything recruiting, from communicating with coaches to financial aid, visit the Resource Library under the Recruiting 101 tab in your RMS or contact our Recruiting Coach team (email: recruitinghelp@ncsasport.org - Phone: 877-845-6272).