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Recruiting-101.com is a resource that was created to help parents, athletes, and coaches throughout the college recruiting process. If you are a parent with a son or daughter being recruited, an athlete confused about the recruiting process, or even a coach with a player who should be recruited, this is definitely the place for you. This site will be updated constantly with articles regarding the recruiting process, how to get recruited, NCAA rules of recruiting, interviews with college coaches, parents who are familiar with the recruiting process, and so much more. Stay tuned as we help guide users through the difficult journey of recruiting.
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Signing vs. Committing: What is the difference in athletic recruiting?
For those that are new to the recruiting process, one thing that gets commonly mistaken is the difference between an athlete verbally committing to a University versus an athlete signing his Letter of Intent with the same school. There is a big difference and although it may mean small, it really does mean a lot.
Lets start by explaining what exactly a verbal commitment is worth to a school. Before his senior season of football, Johnny receives an offer from the big small Division I school in-state, called Eastern. Because the big Division I powerhouse, called State, has not offered him an athletic scholarship, Johnny decides to end the recruiting process by committing to Eastern College. All Johnny has given to the coaches at Eastern is his word that he will sign his Letter of Intent with the school in February. If he is a quarterback, Eastern is confident with him and decides to quit recruiting players at his position.
During the fall, Johnny has a fantastic season and State College really starts showing more attention. While they know he is committed to Eastern, they need two quarterbacks in their recruiting and like keeping in state kids at home. Plus he has grown up a State fan since he was younger and attended camps there every summer. Because all Johnny has done is make a verbal commitment to accept the scholarship at Eastern, it really doesn’t mean a whole lot. While you want to keep your word as a good person, you need to know that recruiting is a game and the coaches could also pull your scholarship at any time before you sign. That verbal commitment really is worth nothing on both ends of the spectrum.
If Johnny decides to decommit from Eastern (Which basically means he has decided not to go there at that time), he will face no penalty if he picks up that athletic scholarship to State College and verbally commits there. Johnny will now to get to play for his dream school but it does leave Eastern short one quarterback. Again, he did leave his old school out to dry but as a recruit, you really need to look out for what is best for you. The coaches will do the exact same thing with you. And I know this is a negative view, but be wary.
What can stop all of this is on the first Wednesday of February when football players are allowed to sign their Letters of Intent (Different sports having different Signing Day, which I plan to talk about soon with the fall signing period coming up next week). Johnny signs his Letter of Intent with State College and he is officially bound to go to that school. He can decide to leave and attend a prep school, a Division III program, a Division II program, or a Junior College program, but he cannot decommit and decide that Eastern College really was the place for him. You cannot leave a Division I program for another Division program that year if you have signed your Letter of Intent.
While this article has talked mostly about football, what makes signing a Letter of Intent so difficult for basketball players is that coaches can leave. If the player signs his Letter of Intent in the fall and the coach gets fired or takes another job, you are still bound to that Letter of Intent. While I don’t agree with this, it is the reality of life. Some schools will let a player out of that Letter of Intent if there is a coaching chance while others won’t. It really just depends on the player and the school.
So if you are talking about a player committing or signing, you can now show your recruiting expertise by telling all of your friends the difference!
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I understand that if you Sign a letter of intent, with lets say a large D1 school, you can leave and attend a prep school. But I am wondering if you sign with a junior college, can you leave that junior college and play at another. Like if they are in different regions of the NJCAA. Please explain how that would work.
Thank you
For the JC, I really can say that I am not 100% positive. However, I will see what I can find out about it. My guess is that it would be up to the conference but you never know.
Is it against the rules for a school to initiate contact with a recruit after he has verballed? Or does the recruit have to open up the recruiting process on his own?
Josh,
It depends on the school. A verbal commitment is non binding so it doesn’t mean anything. Some schools keep recruiting a player if he commits. Other schools will ask the player if he wants them to continue hearing from them. Really, it just depends on the school.
Can you tell me if a kid that is worst case scenerio D-II
and was being recruited by D-1, II III and naia but dosent have any offers because he just got his test scores back after the signing days and now alot of schools don’t have any schlorship money left and want him to come in as a preferred walk on. Does he have any other options maybe J/C or sit out of school his 1st year, or should he walk on some where any suggestions oh and the kid is a senior
The options are to take a walk on spot, keeping looking for other schools with money (There are always schools looking for GOOD players), junior college, prep schools out east, or taking a year off and trying to play the following (Which will be tough). Legit players who get late test scores can find schools. Not sure about this case, but if this kid is a player, then he should be able to find a school that can offer him money.
If I have already signed a letter of intent to play at an NAIA school for basketball, can I decommit and sign with a D-1 college for baseball?
Chris,
The NCAA, NAIA, and even Junior Colleges all have different bodies that govern them. As long as you are not signing within institutions under the same body, you shouldn’t have a problem signing that Division I letter for baseball.
If you really wanted to, you could sign a Junior College letter to play baseball, sign an NAIA letter to play football, and then end up signing a NCAA letter to play basketball. Because they are different “bodies”, you could play whatever one you wanted.
I have a question. Xavier Henry is the top high school basketball recruit. He is still currently attending high school. He signed to play basketball at Memphis. Since coach Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, can Henry decide to go to Kentucky instead without sitting out a year?
Dustin,
He can if Memphis lets him out. From what it sounds like, they are going to let him out.
Look up the story of Tyler Smith and Tennessee when he was in HS to see what happens to an athlete when a school does not let them out of their NLI.