Familiarize yourself with the following NCAA Recruiting Terminologies
The NCAA supports student-athlete well-being by promoting a fair recruiting environment that limits intrusions into the lives of student-athletes and their families.
Recruiting happens when a college employee or representative invites a high school student-athlete to play sports for their college. Recruiting can occur in many ways, such as face-to-face contact, phone calls or text messaging, through mailed or emailed material or through social media.
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RECRUITING TERMS
A CONTACT happens any time a college coach says more than hello during a face-to-face meeting with a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents off the college’s campus. This can happen at any of your sporting events, but not before or during the event. Contact can only be made after the game/match and after your coach releases you for the day.
AN EVALUATION happens when a college coach observes a student-athlete practicing or competing.
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A VERBAL COMMITMENT happens when a college-bound student-athlete verbally agrees to play sports for a college before he or she signs or is eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent. The commitment is not binding on the student-athlete or the school and can be made at any time. When a student-athlete officially commits to attend a Division I or II college, he or she signs a National Letter of Intent, agreeing to attend that school for one academic year. Division III does have a National Letter of Intent, but does have a Celebratory Letter of Intent and is bound by the deposit of the student-athlete to the institution.
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CAMPUS VISITS
Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by student-athletes or their parents are considered unofficial visits. During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the student-athlete, lodging and three meals per day for the student-athlete and his or her parents or guardians, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event. The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event and one on-campus meal.
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NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT
A National Letter of Intent is signed by a college-bound student-athlete agreeing to attend a Division I or II college for one academic year. Participating colleges agree to provide financial aid for one academic year to the student-athlete as long as the student-athlete is admitted to the school and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules. Other forms of financial aid do not guarantee the student-athlete financial aid. The National Letter of Intent is voluntary and not required for a student-athlete to receive financial aid or participate in sports. Signing a National Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process because participating schools are prohibited from recruiting student-athletes who have already signed letters with other participating schools. Learn more about the National Letter of Intent.
A student-athlete who signs a National Letter of Intent but decides to attend another college may request a release from his or her contract with the school. If a student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent with one school but attends a different school, he or she loses one full year of eligibility and must complete a full academic year at the new school before being eligible to compete.
Learn more about the National Letter of Intent
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DIVISION III CELEBRATORY SIGNING FORM
Division III institutions are permitted to use a standard, NCAA provided, non-binding celebratory signing form. A college-bound student-athlete is permitted to sign the celebratory signing form at any point, including high school signing events, after the student-athlete has been accepted to the institution. Institutions should keep in mind, however, that they are not permitted to publicize a student-athlete’s commitment to the institution until the student-athlete has submitted a financial deposit (Bylaw 13.10.7).
To access the Division III celebratory signing form, Division III coaches and administrators can use the “My Apps” link on ncaa.org to navigate to LSDBi. Log in to LSDBi by clicking the “login” tab at the top of the screen and entering your single source sign on information. Once logged in, select the “resources” tab. Once on the “resources” tab, the celebratory signing form can be found under the “compliance” heading.
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