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NCAA Wants to Eliminate National Letter of Intent Program: What Now?

NCAA Wants to Eliminate National Letter of Intent Program: What Now?

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One of the oldest programs in college sports is coming to an end.

The NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to eliminate the National Letter of Intent program, ending a 60-year reign over college athletics as a binding agreement between student-athletes and member schools.

NLI (not to be confused with Name, Image, and Likeness/NIL) served as a formal agreement between a prospective athlete to attend a school for an entire school year. There was very little wiggle room until the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association approved changes to program policy last year that allowed athletes to withdraw from their signed NLI for any reason and without penalty.

This change helped pave the way for the new portal landscape we are seeing across college sports, but especially football and basketball.

But without a binding agreement between a prospective athlete and a school, what happens next for the NCAA?

What replaces NLI?

The NLI program’s core benefits and rules will be incorporated into NCAA legislation and institutional athletic aid agreements, according to a report from the Division I Council’s September conference.

Although this may seem unclear, the prevailing sentiment among college coaches is that this language lays the foundation for contracts between the school and the athlete as revenue sharing becomes the new norm in Division I.

Why remove the program?

The NCAA’s Division I Council said in the report from its September meeting that “incorporating the benefits of the NLI program into institutional aid agreements is intended to clarify the commitment process for all prospective student-athletes, including four-year college prospects.” and make it more efficient for student-athletes.”

Are national signing days affected?

Students can and will continue to sign a binding agreement. The dates listed in the NCAA Legislative Committee’s report from its September meeting are as follows:

Football: Early signing begins at 7 a.m. on the Wednesday after the final FBS game of the regular season and continues through the immediately following Friday. The regular book signing begins on the first Wednesday in February at 7 a.m.

Basketball: Early signing begins at 7 a.m. on the second Wednesday in November and continues through the following Wednesday. Regular signing begins on Wednesday in April, one week after the end of the men’s and women’s championships.

All other sports: 7 a.m. on the first Wednesday in November.

Does this change the name, image and likeness listings?

Probably, but not immediately. It’s possible the new format would allow schools to include revenue sharing in their aid agreements if the NCAA votes for it. This is probably why the term “financial assistance agreement” appears so frequently in the proposed amendments.

What else did the Council approve?

To address the overwhelming number of football and basketball transfers, the council voted to shorten the transfer window from 45 days to 30 days. There was also a vote to completely eliminate the spring window, which did not pass.