<p>Son's first choice didn't work out very late in the game. Now,talking with coaches who were previously interested and trying to figure out best plan to help him. If there is no scholarship money offered to play the Div I sport, is it necessary to sign paper saying you will participate in that sport at the school? Is there any benefit to the student to do so? If school is competitive to get in and coach pushes app through admissions then asks you to sign three days later,can it be rescinded? If anyone has any information regarding signing without any scholarship offer and if that means it's binding for a year or not like a NLI, it would be really helpful.</p>
<p>nypups, sorry about that outcome. I’m sure this has you tearing your hair out. I don’t know the answer to your question, but this might warrant a call to NCAA. Please post what you find out, if you end up making the call. You won’t be the only family with this concern. Take care.</p>
<p>From the NCAA website on NLI’s <a href=“http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/nli/NLI[/url]”>http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/nli/NLI</a></p>
<p>“The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete (high school, prep school, junior college) and a member institution. Prospect agrees to attend institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters). Institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).”</p>
<p>If no athletic money is offered, there is no contract to sign. It would be a verbal commitment only.</p>
<p>D signed a letter of intent with a non-Ivy Div. 1 school, and her early admissions letter came immediately after. I believe the benefit to her was actually that admissions letter. Even though she had had to apply first and was told by the coach that she was accepted by admissions, she did not receive an independent confirmation of acceptance at that point in the process. I’m not certain she would have been given the early approval letter without first signing the NLI. I can’t prove that’s the case, but it’s what I suspect.</p>
<p>She will not be receiving athletic scholarship money her first year, so the way the process was handled for her is this: the NLI contract she signed offers her a nominal athletic scholarship. When her financial aid package comes through, at that time she will return the athletic scholarship in favor of the higher FA package. She did get a FA pre-read from the school, so we know approximately what the FA amount will be. Granted, there is a need to trust in the good faith of the school. It’s the same for the Ivies which don’t have early admission. You have to trust that they will indeed admit you eventually as promised in the likely letter if you tell them you are planning to attend.</p>
<p>“early admissions letter came immediately after”</p>
<p>oh, D didn’t get one…did you ask for the letter?</p>
<p>interesting comment about AS vs FA…thanks!</p>
<p>When the coach called to let her know she had been accepted, he told her she would soon get a letter. He said it wouldn’t be the same as an Ivy LL, but didn’t really explain very well what it would be like instead. However, weeks passed and no letter came. Then, while on the official visit, another recruit mentioned that he hadn’t yet gotten an admissions confirmation letter, and so D and the other recruits chimed in too.</p>
<p>I think the delay was deliberate. Why give away your leverage and tell a kid he’s accepted in writing if he hasn’t officially committed to you yet?</p>
<p>Looking forward to the info= sooo important for families to help each other…as this is our kids…</p>
<p>Pulling for you nypups! Schools/coaches that treat kids poorly should be called on the carpet…and schools that treat kids/families well should be rewarded.</p>
<p>huh, well no “official” letter here.</p>
<p>nypups - I want to help but it hard to help without knowing everything. So, here is what I would do if it was my son…i realize the world is not a perfect place, and this is a hard decision.</p>
<p>First, ask yourself objectively…“is XYZ university a great fit for my son both academically and athletically?” If “yes”, ask your son the same question. It all comes down to how much your son wants to go to school there, as well as what are his other options. If he has other options, then I would be bolder with the coach. Yes, it can be like a poker game. Only you and your son know what cards your holding. If signing this non-binding NLI really bothers you or your son, ask the coach. </p>
<p>I’m not so sure of the coaches intentions with this exercise. This may be one of those life situations where it is best to play “dumb”, and go with the flow.<br>
If he is sure he wants to go there, then sign the non-binding NLI as the coach is going to help him get in. I’m assuming this is a school he would not normally get into without baseball as a “hook”. At this time of year, there are very few D1 spots available to HS seniors, especially position players. So time is not working in his favor for baseball. Also, he will be eligible for baseball scholarship next year.</p>
<p>If you or your son determine this is not the school for you, keep going down that list that you’ve created. </p>
<p>We’ve been through the baseball recruiting meat grinder, so I know how hard this can on your family. Best of luck. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and your son. </p>
<p>fenwaysouth</p>
<p>Thats great balanced advice fenwaysouth!</p>
<p>New question, but posted under “signing” rather than creating a new thread.</p>
<p>As seen in an online publication today…<<____will continue multi-tasking both on the field and in the classroom as the Blue Streak signed her National Letter of Intent to attend Harvard University and will compete for the Crimson in both Division I field hockey and women’s lacrosse.>></p>
<p>My question is: what did she sign? </p>
<p>Is it an NLI if there’s no money attached? </p>
<p>Can anyone clarify this for me?</p>
<p>You have to take what is published in a newspaper with a grain of salt as they probably don’t get NLI for Ivy league and are just slightly confused. However to play both field hockey and lacrosse at a DI school? Kudo’s to this girl.</p>
<p>i think the term “signed” is just common way of say it’s a done deal. I hear signed referring to the 5 ivy bound athletes in our school, but when the parent is talking to another parent of an athlete I here signed, will actually LL. From a commitment stand point they are the same!</p>
<p>^^^^Agreed. Newspaper is our area did the same thing…wrote “signed” for an Ivy athlete. Most people are not familiar with the details of D1, D2, D3 and Ivy athletic recruiting and admissions. In today’s modern world, it is about as simple to understand as Healthcare. 
It is a confusing process, and referring to it as 'signed" I guess makes it easier for everyone to understand.</p>
<p>^^^ LOL
Yes as confusing as healthcare–
I just call it signed–when a kid gets in a school, and will play for the school…meaning the athletics helped open a door and coach wooed the kid…</p>
<p>I need to go back and re-read some threads as schools of various persuasions are noticing our student and I was under the impression that if its not a D!, that the coaches really have little to no impout at the AdCom offices…</p>
<p>I just read a posting on a shool site that a kid who is a junior has verballed/commited to attend Stanford for baseball.
How is that possible?
I thought that the kids couldn’t be recruited until after July 1 AFTER Jr yr</p>
<p>Fogfog, as I understand it, if the student physically visits to the school on his own nickel then a verbal offer can be extended.</p>
<p>Baseball is a sport where early verballing is not out of the ordinary. College coaches see these players at showcase events and camps. My nephew was a recruited baseball player that ended up being drafted, but several of his teammates verballed before they even started their junior year.</p>
<p>Honestly, some of these postings about verbals are not true…But, I don’t know baseball. Seems like a clear violation of the rules. Plus, I don’t get the whole verbal thing. Seems like too much power is in the hands of the school/coach.</p>
<p>All of the postings of verbals are true. Verbals aren’t used nearly as much in Ivys. For a school like stanford if it’s before a kids junior year he can tell the kids coach they are offering him a full scholarship and the kid can verbal. Or he can get an offer at the schools summer camp.</p>
<p>An offer is usually pretty strong as the school doesnt want to get a rep for pulling offers. And after their junior yr you can receive written material, therefore a school can send you a written offer and you can verbal. Its pretty much commiting to sign the NLI in Feb.</p>
<p>Verballing is not complicated at all. You can verbal to an Ivy, but you’d have to receive a likely letter (equivalent to an offer), and you’d be essentially verballing to applying on to to that school and attending. Most don’t really need to because they don’t get a likely letter without commiting. But for sports like football where kids have Duke/Stanford offer in hand, Ivys have to give them likely earlier to have any chance of getting them.</p>