As college football careers toward a revenue-share model amidst a myriad of moves that have dramatically changed the landscape of amateur sports, a staple of the recruiting process has been abolished. The National Letter of Intent (NLI) has been a standard of the sport since 1964, but it will be no more according to reports on Wednesday.
NLI Abolished in Another Major College Football Move
The NCAA Division I council has voted to abolish the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program.
The council approved the major change to the structure of college football recruiting on Wednesday, as the sport veers away from amateurism into a no-mans land between true amateur athletics and an employment model similar to the professional game.
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Previously, the NLI provided a legally binding agreement between student-athletes and schools. Once signed, it prevented other programs from contacting the player, in theory providing reassurance that a player would come and play for your school.
In return, the program was legally bound to “provide athletic financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).”
Instead of the existing NLI program, schools and student-athletes will sign financial aid and scholarship agreements. Recent changes to NCAA regulations increased the number of scholarships each college football program can offer to 105 “full-ride” opportunities.
Previously, teams featured a maximum of 85 scholarship players, with the rest of the program featuring walk-ons.
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As the transfer portal, revenue-sharing, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation shake up the foundation of college football, the NLI program in its existing format has become obsolete. Finding a different solution to the National Letter of Intent program had been discussed at length during the offseason.
Now, its demise has come to fruition. That said, some elements of the NLI are set to remain.
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