2010 offer without NLI

There is nothing wrong with asking that the agreement be formalized with the signing of an NLI.

Get proper adice:

National Letter of Intent Frequently Asked Questions
1.What is the National Letter of Intent?
2.What happens if I sign a National Letter of Intent and then decide to go to a different college?
3.Can a college or university reduce or cancel my scholarship during the academic year?
4.How long does a scholarship last and can the college cancel my scholarship after the first year?
The National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student-athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospective student-athlete's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. All colleges and universities that participate in the NLI program agree to not recruit a prospective student-athlete once he or she signs an NLI with another college or university. Therefore, a prospective student-athlete who signs an NLI should no longer receive recruiting contacts and calls and is ensured an athletics scholarship for one academic year. The NLI must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. If the prospective student-athlete does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, he or she may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement.

Please note that the NLI program is administered through the NCAA Eligibility Center office. Specific questions regarding its application should be directed to the NLI office at 877/262-1492. Additional information can be obtained through the NLI program Web page at www.national-letter.org. Please contact the NCAA membership services staff at 317/917-6222 if you have further questions.

Breach of NLI by Student-Athlete Prior to Initial Enrollment, Practice and Competition in Order to Attend Another Institution If you sign an NLI, you are committed to attend that institution for your initial year of collegiate enrollment. If you do not attend the signing institution or attend that institution for less than one academic year and you enroll in another college that participates in the NLI program, there may be eligibility ramifications. The basic penalty may preclude you from representing the second college until you have completed one academic year in residence at the latter institution and you may lose one season of competition in all sports.

For further information, visit the NLI Web site (www.national-letter.org) or contact the NLI staff at:

National Letter of Intent
P.O. Box 7132
Indianapolis, IN 46207-7132
877/262-1492 (toll free)
317/223-0700

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but can you sign an NLI out of the signing period (help here 3FG).

TPM,
The early signing period in November is only a few days, but the regular period runs from April 14, 2010 to August 1, 2010.

So what happens after August 1st? If a player takes the place of another player that drops out right before school starts in the fall, and is given his scholarship, can the coach take away the scholarship and ask him to leave the team during the school year?

I met with financial aid and they included the scholarship, does that mean I don't need to sign an NLI? Can the coach still take away the scholarship during the year (because I don't have an NLI)?

Also, if an NLI is not signed, and a player ends up not playing, does that mean the player is free to transfer to another D1 without needing to sit out a year?

Did you sign an athletic financial agreement stating the schools agreement to give you the money for one year?

You don't need a NLI, and no player ever needs to have an NLI, although many players and schools may desire to enter into the NLI contract. However, the school does have to provide a written award:
15.3.2.3 Written Statement Requirement. In all cases, the institutional agency making the financial aid award shall give the recipient a written statement of the amount, duration, conditions and terms of the award. The chair of the regular committee or other agency for the awarding of financial aid to students generally, or the chair’s official designee, shall sign or electronically authorize (e.g., electronic signature) the written statement. The signature of the athletics director, attesting to the committee’s award, does not satisfy this requirement.

Once the award is made, it may not be reduced, except:
15.3.4.2 Reduction or Cancellation Permitted. Institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award if the recipient:
(a) Renders himself or herself ineligible for intercollegiate competition;
(b) Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement (see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.3);
(c) Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty (see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.4); or
(d) Voluntarily (on his or her own initiative) withdraws from a sport at any time for personal reasons; however, the recipient’s financial aid may not be awarded to another student-athlete in the academic term in which the aid was reduced or canceled. A student-athlete’s request for written permission to contact another four-year collegiate institution regarding a possible transfer does not constitute a voluntary withdrawal.

A transfer to a D1 school from any 4 year school must (with rare exceptions) spend one year in residency before being eligible to compete. This is regardless if a player had financial aid and/or a NLI (there is one rare exception).

In short, once the award is made (and I infer that an award has been made) the school can't take it away during the academic year, assuming the player avoids the above behaviors. There is no assurance of any award for the following year.

Tranferring to a D1 will very probably mean sitting out a year, assuming the player actually attends a day of class at the original 4 year school.