National Letter of Intent
Encyclopedia
The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete
's commitment to participating NCAA
colleges and universities in the United States
. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) provides governance oversight of the program. Started in 1964 with seven conferences and eight independent institutions, the program now includes 616 Division I and II participating institutions.
NLIs are typically faxed by the recruited student to the university's athletic department on a national signing day.
The NLI is a voluntary program with regard to both institutions and student-athletes. No prospective student-athlete or parent is required to sign the National Letter of Intent, and no institution is required to join the program.
, Professor of Government and Faculty Athletics Representative at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
), created the National Letter of Intent program in 1964
. He was assisted by Howard Grubbs, who was Commissioner of the Southwest Conference at the time. In October 2007
, the NCAA
became responsible for the administration of the program.
The restrictive nature of the NLI is designed to be advantageous to both prospective student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics programs. Intercollegiate athletics departments are not required to provide financial aid in cases where a student-athlete is not admitted for academic reasons. Seth Davis
, a columnist for Sports Illustrated
, has suggested that this arrangement is actually disadvantageous to student-athletes, as they have no recourse if an athletics department decides not to admit a player for non-academic reasons; for example, an athletics department could replace a signed recruit with another recruit by claiming that the first one was not admitted for academic reasons.
Although NCAA rules allow for use of postal mail and courier, and electronic transmission, nearly all students opt for fax machines, because of the speed of transmission and the ease of verifying signatures sent that way.
Student athlete
A student athlete is a term used to describe a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled, a term primarily used in the United States. It is used to describe the direct balance of a full-time student and a full-time athlete...
's commitment to participating NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
colleges and universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) provides governance oversight of the program. Started in 1964 with seven conferences and eight independent institutions, the program now includes 616 Division I and II participating institutions.
NLIs are typically faxed by the recruited student to the university's athletic department on a national signing day.
The NLI is a voluntary program with regard to both institutions and student-athletes. No prospective student-athlete or parent is required to sign the National Letter of Intent, and no institution is required to join the program.
History
Dr. J. William DavisJ. William Davis
Dr. J. William Davis is known as the father of the National Letter of Intent for college athletics.Dr. Davis was chairman of Texas Tech University's Athletic Council from 1948 to 1969. He created a form, the National Letter of Intent, to prevent coaches from pulling recruits from other schools. The...
, Professor of Government and Faculty Athletics Representative at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
), created the National Letter of Intent program in 1964
1964 in sports
1964 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Men's Olympic Gold Medal:** Downhill: Egon Zimmermann, Austria** Slalom: Josef Stiegler, Austria** Giant Slalom: François Bonlieu, France* Women's Olympic Gold Medal:...
. He was assisted by Howard Grubbs, who was Commissioner of the Southwest Conference at the time. In October 2007
2007 in sports
2007 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* February 4 – Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 to win Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The win was the Colts' first Super Bowl Championship since their 1970-71 team, when...
, the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
became responsible for the administration of the program.
NLIs and the recruiting process
National Letters of Intent may only be signed by prospective student-athletes who will be entering a four-year institution for the first time in the academic year after they sign the NLI. Recruits who have signed NLIs must attend the schools they have signed with in order to receive financial aid, and NCAA rules forbid coaches from recruiting them further; these restrictions aim to add certainty to the recruiting process for both players (who are certain to receive aid) and coaches (who are certain that a recruit will attend their school) alike. By contrast, verbal commitments are nonbinding; recruits may change or revoke a verbal commitment at any time, and coaches may continue to recruit a verbally committed player.The restrictive nature of the NLI is designed to be advantageous to both prospective student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics programs. Intercollegiate athletics departments are not required to provide financial aid in cases where a student-athlete is not admitted for academic reasons. Seth Davis
Seth Davis
Seth Davis is a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and an in-studio analyst for CBS' NCAA men's college basketball coverage with Greg Anthony and host Greg Gumbel. Davis attended Duke University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in political science...
, a columnist for Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, has suggested that this arrangement is actually disadvantageous to student-athletes, as they have no recourse if an athletics department decides not to admit a player for non-academic reasons; for example, an athletics department could replace a signed recruit with another recruit by claiming that the first one was not admitted for academic reasons.
Faxing of letters
Given the methods of transmitting NLIs that are available under NCAA rules, the letters are typically faxed by students to the university's athletic department. Athletic departments take great pains to ensure that their fax machines are in proper working order.Although NCAA rules allow for use of postal mail and courier, and electronic transmission, nearly all students opt for fax machines, because of the speed of transmission and the ease of verifying signatures sent that way.