Tag Archive for: NCAA Scholarship Agreement

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Why Student-Athletes Should Keep a Copy of Their Scholarship Agreement

If your son or daughter is on an athletic scholarship, do you have a copy of their scholarship agreement for this year?

It’s very important to read through the scholarship agreement and know what expectations have been placed on your son or daughter.

  • We all know that they’re expected to stay academically eligible, conduct themselves properly, and work hard in practice every day.
  • But how do you know if there are team rules or athletic department policies that could cause them to lose their scholarship if you haven’t carefully reviewed the scholarship agreement?

It’s much better to get a copy of the agreement at the time of signing as it can be an uncomfortable conversation to ask the coach or athletic department for a copy later if:

  • You feel that things aren’t going well for your son or daughter, or if they are being threatened with the cancellation of their scholarship, it will be important to know what is stated in those rules or policies.
  • In addition, if your athlete is thinking about a possible transfer to another university, it can be important to know the impact on his or her athletic scholarship if they decide to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and when they might do that.

Here are a few potentially concerning examples that I’ve recently seen in scholarship agreements of our clients:

  1. The scholarship can be cancelled if the student-athlete “Refuses to participate or provides a positive test result in the NCAA or University drug-testing program.” (At some universities a positive drug test results in required drug counseling but not necessarily the cancellation of the athlete’s scholarship.)
  2. If an athletic scholarship agreement is written as 100% of a full athletic scholarship for the freshman year but then “0% of a full athletic scholarship” for the three following years, then there will be no notification of a scholarship reduction and no appeal opportunity because the student-athlete knew when they signed the scholarship agreement that there was no scholarship given after the first year.
  3. A student-athlete could have their scholarship cancelled due to “…actions that are deemed detrimental to the team that I am a member of.”But, if the coach does not provide his or her athletes with a detailed list of what those “detrimental” actions are, how can the athlete know that what they may consider a very minor discretion (perhaps being a few minutes late for a team meeting or making a disparaging remark about a teammate) may end up costing them their scholarship?

If you have concerns or questions about your student-athlete’s scholarship agreement or you want to have a proactive discussion about what to look for or be aware of in a scholarship agreement, we can help.

Schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online for a confidential 1:1 consultation. We’ll answer your questions and provide accurate information, objective advice and guide you through potential issues that could possibly create problems in the future.

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The Pros and Cons of NOT Signing an NCAA National Letter of Intent

High school and junior college athletes being recruited by Division I coaches have not been able to visit D1 campuses or have face-to-face discussions with coaches (except via Zoom or FaceTime) since mid-March.  In fact, the NCAA DI Dead Period has been extended through January 1, 2021.

With this in mind, do you feel comfortable having your athlete sign a National Letter of Intent with a Division I university when the signing period begins on November 11 for all sports other than football?

While accepting a scholarship may be very valuable to your athlete, signing the NLI locks them in to attending that university for at least one full academic year even though they might never have visited the campus and toured the facilities, let alone met the coaching staff in person.

It’s a common misperception that when a recruit is presented with a National Letter of Intent that they must sign that document.

  • However, the NLI is actually a separate document from a school’s official scholarship agreement.
  • The NLI can’t be offered to a recruit unless it is accompanied by that scholarship agreement.

It’s possible for a recruit to sign the school’s scholarship agreement without signing the National Letter of Intent. But what does that actually mean for your athlete?

For one thing, signing the scholarship agreement with a college is a “guarantee” that the college must provide you with that scholarship if you are accepted for admission to that college, enroll and attend classes there, and are certified as eligible by the NCAA.

The potential upside of signing the scholarship agreement but NOT the NLI is that your athlete would not be subject to the NLI penalty for not attending that college for one full academic year should they choose to transfer after just one semester.

An example of why an athlete might choose to transfer after one semester is if the coach who has been the primary recruiter for your athlete leaves for another job before your athlete ever arrives on campus.

On the other hand, the potential downside of not signing the NLI is that it can potentially harm your athlete’s relationship with the coaching staff who recruited them before your athlete ever arrives on campus. The coaching staff might question the athlete’s intentions and full commitment if they don’t sign the NLI. Is there a way to minimize that possibility?

Here are a couple of suggestions for dealing with the uncertainty of the times we are in the midst of when your athlete is being asked (and perhaps pressured) to sign a National Letter of Intent.

One possible option is that your athlete can ask the university recruiting them if they can sign only the scholarship agreement when the signing period begins on November 11. Your athlete can then offer to sign the NLI at a later date AFTER they have had a chance to visit the campus, tour facilities, and meet the coaches in person.

Another possible option is to ask the university if they will provide a written assurance to grant your athlete a full release from the NLI if the athlete changes their mind after visiting campus, or if there is a change in the coaching staff before your athlete enrolls at the university.

Do you have questions?

If you would like to discuss the options described here in a confidential phone consultation, schedule a Scholarship Strategies consult online. Or you can send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235 to schedule a session.

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