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The following article is sponsored by National Scouting Report. Visit NSR’s web site at http://www.nsr-inc.com/
THERE’S STILL TIME FOR UNCOMMITTED AND OVERLOOKED SENIORS
Start the countdown!
Ten … nine … eight … seven … six … five …
On Wednesday, April 13, thousands of high school seniors, including dozens from the Suburban One League, will proudly slip on their favorite college T-shirt, take their seat behind a table, smile for the cameras and sign a National Letter of Intent on the first day of the NCAA’s regular signing period.
High school athletes in more than 20 sports will become “official” college athletes after signing binding agreements to play for their chosen colleges and universities. It’s a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.
However, for thousands of other high school seniors, there will be no lights, cameras or action that day. No signatures. No smiles. No photos. Those athletes are still uncommitted or still waiting for offers.
Here’s some advice for both:
If you are still weighing offers, take your time. The NCAA’s regular signing period continues through May 18 for Division I basketball players and through Aug. 1 for athletes in all other Division I and II sports except football (April 1).
College coaches may pressure you to sign as soon as possible -- they need to allocate their funds and finalize their rosters -- but you can’t afford to make a mistake. Once you sign a National Letter of Intent, you are legally bound to that school for one year. If you change your mind, it will cost you a year of NCAA eligibility unless the school’s athletic director awards you a full release.
You should ultimately choose a college or university that you would attend even if you weren’t playing a sport. What happens if you don’t get playing time? What happens if you get injured? You don’t want to be stuck at a school for four years that you chose only because you wanted to play a sport there.
If you have no offers, I recommend you put down a tuition deposit at one of the colleges or universities to which you were accepted -- even if you can’t play a sport there. Most schools require a deposit of $100-$500 by May 1 to hold a spot for you. Although deposits are normally non-refundable, at least you will have a school to attend.
Meanwhile, you still have several months before the end of the regular signing period to receive offers. Contact as many college coaches as you can. Visit their schools. Attend their camps.
Don’t worry that you missed the application deadline. Colleges and universities hold spots in school for scholarship athletes. If a coach is interested in you, he or she will ask you to submit a late application. If you are accepted to that school, the coach can make you an offer and you can sign a National Letter of Intent.
Although you may have put down a deposit at another school, you are not legally bound to that school as long as you didn’t sign a National Letter of Intent there. You can change your mind at any time without penalty (other than losing your deposit).
If you want to play at an NCAA Division III school, there are no signing dates to worry about. There are no National Letters of Intent, no official signings and no athletic scholarships. If a coach is interested in you, you often can apply and commit to a Division III school right up until the first day of classes.
What’s more, you can proudly wear your school apparel and smile for the cameras just like Division I and II signees. After all, you’re a college athlete, too.
Start the countdown!
National Scouting Report, the world’s oldest and largest college recruiting organization, has received hundreds of requests from college coaches seeking qualified high school prospects (2016-19) in all sports. More than 95 percent of NSR’s prospects receive scholarship offers. For a FREE evaluation, contact NSR Area Director Gary Silvers, former Executive Sports Editor of the Bucks County Courier Times, at (215) 480-8764 or gsilvers@nsr-inc.com.