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Athletic Scholarship Tips and Reminders for High School Athletes

Here are some tips and reminders for high school athletes who have already signed with a college sports program for the upcoming year, as well as for those who may currently be in the recruiting process.

NCAA Division I

  • Coaches can offer one-year renewable athletic scholarships, or multi-year scholarships which are specifically written to cover multiple academic years.
  • Be sure to note which type of offer your athlete is signing – especially if in their recruiting pitch coaches are saying that “your scholarship will not be reduced or cancelled as long as you maintain academic eligibility and don’t violate team rules or misconduct policies.” Too many coaches don’t honor their word.
  • For athletes who are in the position of having multiple colleges recruiting them and can “negotiate” a scholarship offer, a multi-year scholarship offer is obviously an advantage, but especially so at Division I universities that are NOT in one of the “Power Five” conferences.
  • A scholarship can only be reduced or cancelled “during the period of the award” under specific NCAA guidelines.
  • Athletes who were receiving a one-year athletic scholarship the preceding academic year must be notified in writing not later than July 1 regarding the status of their scholarship for the following year.
  • A National Letter of Intent is not the same thing as a scholarship agreement issued by a university.

NCAA Division II

  • Coaches are not permitted to offer an athletic scholarship for more than one year at a time. They may say that the scholarship will be renewed each year, but there is no requirement that they do so since the rules specifically limit an athletic scholarship to no more than one year.
  • A scholarship can only be reduced or cancelled “during the period of the award” under specific NCAA guidelines.
  • Athletes who were on an athletic scholarship the preceding academic year must be notified in writing not later than July 1 regarding the status of their scholarship for the following year.
  • A National Letter of Intent is not the same thing as a scholarship agreement issued by a university.

NJCAA

  • An NJCAA Letter of Intent is the same thing as a scholarship agreement.
  • A scholarship from an NJCAA college is in effect from August 1 to July 31.
  • Renewal of a scholarship for the following year must be given in the form of a new NJCAA Letter of Intent on or before June 15. An athlete not given a second-year scholarship by June 15 becomes recruitable by other NJCAA colleges on June 16.

Need Advice?

If you have questions about your athlete’s specific situation, purchase a confidential scholarship strategies consultation online, write to us at rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Rules Seminar Update

I recently attended the annual NCAA rules seminar for updates on the changes taking place with NCAA rules and policies. The bottom line – there is still a lot of uncertainty on some topics. Here are a few important items that were presented:

The final terms of the settlement in the ‘House” lawsuit against the NCAA won’t be implemented until the 2025-26 academic year.

As with most class action lawsuits, individual parties will have the choice to object to the class settlement if they choose to do so. And the first such action occurred this past week when Houston Christian University filed a motion asking a judge to declare the settlement “void” as they claim that they weren’t represented in the negotiations.

Potential impacts on student-athletes

Division I team scholarship limits in each sport will probably be eliminated.

Instead, roster limits will likely be implemented for each sport. Therefore, the largest and most well-funded universities may be cutting roster spots, but possibly providing full scholarships to all of those still on the roster.

Eligibility rules will also be reviewed by NCAA Committees over the next 12-15 months.

This review will include academic, amateur and athletic eligibility rules (e.g., academic requirements to be eligible, amateur status rules, and a possible revision to the four seasons of competitive eligibility to reduce the need for so many waivers).

It appears that these settlements won’t impact Divisions II and III, at least not directly. But athletes being cut from Division I rosters may be transferring down to D2 or D3.

NCAA staff members also shared that they are continuing to work with Congress to advocate for legislation that student-athletes would not be able to be considered as employees of their universities.

While this wasn’t explicitly stated during the seminar, my sense is that the NCAA feels that the increased opportunities for more athletic compensation through NIL activities and the sharing of athletic department revenue counteract the arguments that student-athletes should be employees.

If you have any questions, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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Recruiting Season: Why June 15th is so Important

June 15th is an important date for high school and junior college student-athletes who are hoping to be recruited to play their sport at college and juco levels.

NJCAA Letter of Intent Signees:

For athletes who attended an NJCAA two-year college during the 2023-24 academic year as a Letter of Intent signee; June 15 is the date by which notification of renewal of the athlete’s Letter of Intent for the 2024-25 academic year is supposed to be provided by their college.

An NJCAA athlete who isn’t signed to a second-year scholarship by June 15 (which is supposed to be in the form of a new Letter of Intent) becomes recruitable by any other NJCAA college starting on June 16.

NCAA Division I Recruiting Information:

June 15 is the first date when most coaches at NCAA Division I programs will be able to place recruiting phone calls and send emails/messages to athletes who have just completed their sophomore year of high school.

The following Division I sports are the only ones that have a date other than June 15 as the earliest date for placing recruiting calls and sending emails/messages to prospects:

  • Baseball – Aug. 1 of junior year
  • Women’s Basketball – June 1 at conclusion of sophomore year
  • Men’s Ice Hockey – Jan. 1 of sophomore year
  • Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Softball – Sept. 1 of junior year

NCAA Division II Recruiting Information:

For recruiting by NCAA Division II colleges, June 15 is the date when coaches in ALL sports can start to contact recruits who have completed their sophomore year of HS via phone, email, or direct messaging.

Division II coaches in all sports can also accept incoming calls and talk to prospects who call them at any time.

Do You Have Questions?

For specific questions about the NCAA transfer or recruiting rules, or scholarship agreements and letters of intent, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult Online, send an email to us at rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235.

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How NCAA DI Coaching Changes Can Affect Student-Athletes’ Scholarships

For Division I athletes, a change in head coach may result in a change to an athlete’s scholarship situation – even in a situation where your athlete has a four-year “guaranteed” scholarship that can’t be reduced for athletic or medical reasons.

When a Division I university makes a head coaching change, the new coach may tell current student-athletes that they can continue attending school until they graduate, but they will no longer be a member of the team for their remaining year(s).

This rule was originally intended to benefit athletes who were near completion of their degree and wanted to stay at their university to graduate rather than having to transfer to continue playing if a new coach cut them from their current team.

However, some newly hired head coaches sometimes use this rule against even freshman athletes who have redshirted during their first year. In that case, many athletes will choose to transfer rather than give up their goal of playing at the Division I level in order to complete their degree.

If your athlete has been put in this situation and would like to discuss the options that they can consider to be fully informed and not make a rash decision, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online, contact us via e-mail at rick@informedathlete.com or call our office at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Division I Baseball Roster and Scholarship Limits for the 2024-25 School Year

NCAA Division I baseball programs will continue with increased roster size and scholarship limits for the 2024-25 academic year thanks to a “Blanket Waiver” issued by the Division I Committee for Legislative Relief.

The reasons for these increased limits include:

  • The 2024-25 academic year will be the last year that most Division I baseball athletes still have eligibility available as the result of the NCAA rulings dating back to the 2020 baseball season.
  • Major League Baseball has changed the MLB Draft from 40 rounds to 20 rounds.
  • The number of Minor League teams have been cut from 162 to 120.

There will be a 40-man limit on roster size for Division I programs during the 2025 baseball season.

Up to 32 student-athletes will be allowed to receive a baseball scholarship – an increase from the normal limit of 27 in Division I.

The additional “counters” (scholarship athletes counting against the team scholarship limit) must be included in the maximum team limit of 11.7 scholarships and must be provided the minimum scholarship value of 25%.

Do you Have Questions About Your Athlete’s Remaining Eligibility in Any Sport?

If you have questions about your athlete’s remaining eligibility in any sport, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online or contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or at 913-766-1235.

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Should High School Recruits Consider a Gap Year?

A high school recruit entering college next Fall might be competing for playing time against athletes with four years of college experience who may still have 2 seasons of eligibility remaining.

Here’s why:

Many college rosters have been and still are overloaded with athletes who were granted an additional year of eligibility during the Pandemic.

During the 2020 calendar year, almost all college athletes were granted an additional year on their eligibility “clock” AND were not charged with one of their four seasons of playing eligibility, even if they played a full season.

That additional year applied to athletes at both two and four-year colleges in the Spring of the 2019-20 academic year and for Fall and Winter sport athletes who competed during Fall 2020 or began their season that semester.

  • This means that many Spring sport athletes (baseball, softball, lacrosse, etc.) who were freshmen on a college roster in the Spring 2020 semester may still have eligibility available for the 2024-25 academic year.
  • AND that freshmen Fall and Winter sport athletes during the 2020-21 academic year (football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc.) may still have TWO years of eligibility remaining after this year.

Over the past few months, I’ve received many calls from current college athletes (or parents) asking if it’s possible for them to have another year of eligibility because their recruitment or their early college seasons were negatively impacted.

This has led me to believe that it might be a good idea for some high school recruits to take a gap year after graduation to continue training in their sport while taking part-time college courses to get a start toward their college degree.

Do You Need Assistance?

If you’d like to have a confidential consultation about the possibility of a gap year for your athlete and factors that you may want to take into consideration, schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues Consultation online, or by writing to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NJCAA Football Letter of Intent Signing Period

Wednesday, February 7 is also the first date for high school seniors to sign an NJCAA Letter of Intent (LOI) with a junior college football program that is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association. (All other NJCAA sports have their initial LOI signing date on November 1.)

It’s important to note that unlike the NCAA National Letter of Intent (NLI), an NJCAA LOI can be issued to a recruit even if no athletic scholarship is being provided to that recruit.

As a result, even though a recruit who signs an NJCAA LOI may not be receiving any athletic scholarship funding, the recruit is still committing themselves to attend that particular junior college for at least one full academic year.

Once a recruit has signed an NJCAA LOI, they can’t sign with or contact coaches at other NJCAA football programs about a possible transfer until the recruit has completed one full year of attendance at that junior college or is released from their LOI by that college.

If you or your athlete have questions or need assistance including reviewing your scholarship offer before you sign, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies consult online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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NCAA Football National Letter of Intent Signing Period

Wednesday, February 7 is the first day of the “regular” National Letter of Intent signing period for NCAA Division I and II football recruits.

Although Division I football programs had an “early” signing period in December, this upcoming period will be the first opportunity for NCAA Division II football programs to sign high school recruits to a scholarship for next year.

This signing period is open through April 1 for Division I football programs but continues through August 1 for Division II programs.

If you have questions about the NCAA National Letter of Intent and how it affects your athlete or if you would like us to review your scholarship offer and National Letter of Intent before you sign:

Schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online, contact us by calling 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Convention: NIL Proposal Approved to Protect Student-Athletes

The NCAA Division I Council approved a proposal that is intended to provide student-athletes with “protections” related to Name, Image, and Likeness activities. This becomes effective on August 1, 2024.

The four elements of this legislation are:

  • Voluntary registration for NIL service providers. The goal is to collect and publish information about service providers to help student-athletes make informed decisions about who to work with.
  • Disclosure requirements. Within 30 days after signing an NIL agreement, current student-athletes will be required to disclose information to their school related to agreements that exceed $600 in value. Recruits with NIL agreements will be required to disclose such information within 30 days of enrollment.
  • Standardized contracts. “The NCAA will work with schools to provide student-athletes … a template contract and recommended contract terms, to ensure student-athletes and their families make informed decisions about NIL agreements.”
  • Comprehensive NIL education. The NCAA “…will provide ongoing education and resources to support student-athletes…on policies, rules and best practices pertaining to NIL.”

If you have any questions, contact our office at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Football NLI Signing Dates

An NCAA National Letter of Intent signing opportunity for high school or junior college football recruits opens on December 20.

For high school or junior college recruits offered a scholarship by an NCAA Division I football program (FBS or FCS) and planning to enroll next Fall, the first NLI signing opportunity is only available for 3 days from Dec. 20 to 22.

For current junior college football athletes planning to enroll at an NCAA Division I or II university in January, the NLI signing opportunity is from Dec. 20 through Jan. 15.

Another signing opportunity for football recruits to sign with an NCAA Division I or II program will open on Feb. 7 and will remain open until April 1 for Division I programs and until August 1 for Division II programs.

For questions about these signing opportunities or for questions about athletic scholarships in any sport, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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