In early fall, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made unprecedented changes to the National Letter of Intent, removing said letter entirely. Nonetheless, athletes who continue their sport at the collegiate level still have a special day to celebrate their next steps.
“The NCAA came together and they said, ‘hey let’s go ahead and kind of do away with the National Letter of Intent, and let’s just package it all together and, like, here is part of your financial package here for high school student athletes,’” athletic coordinator TP Miller said. “We’re still honoring that day. We’re still having our national signing day, keeping that day and honor in recognition of all those students’ hard work.”
The National Letter of Intent was a binding agreement proving that student athletes were accepted to the university and have a financial aid package available. Now, signees are signing something a little different.
“Since it was taken away, [Baylor University coaches] sent us a bunch of online documents when normally it’s like a physical paper that you sign and then you fax it to the school,” senior Baylor University signee Gabriella Vathy said. “This year, it was documents that we were emailed, that we signed the morning of even before the signing day actually happened.”
Regardless, proof of acceptance into the institution or financial aid package is required on signing day.
“We asked for the student athletes to have some type of celebratory letter that’s provided by their university or some type of proof that, hey, this student is going to this school and everything’s on the up and up,” Miller said. “If the university is ready to provide the actual financial package, then they can sign that paperwork document, but if they don’t have all of everything put together, then they can sign the celebratory letter.”
Without the National Letter of Intent, collegiate teams also received changes, and athletes had to resign their financial aid packages annually.
“The changes didn’t really seem to affect me as much as it could affect some other people,” senior East Carolina University signee Allison Butrum said. “The letter obviously changed, it’s more yearly now, and also they had roster cuts for volleyball and so now they’re only allowed to have 18 people on the roster, but they can give out 18 scholarships if they want to. So it’s just cutting the team size down, but they still have the same amount of money to give.”
While the NCAA’s motive behind the changes is unclear, they do arise amid Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation opportunities increasing among collegiate athletes.
“I think the NIL deals are a good thing,” Vathy said. “I remember when my sister was playing collegiate soccer that you could partner with brands and it sucked because, like, the big football teams, like the schools themselves would give partnerships, but you personally couldn’t do anything, even if you wanted to. But now that it’s an option [to receive money], I definitely think that it’s super cool and I’m definitely gonna try to get some NILs. There are some girls on the Baylor acrobatics team who are working with Prime and they’re posting stuff with Alani and all that stuff. So, if I could get on that level, that would be super cool.”
NIL deals allow athletes to get paid if they participate in sponsorships or if merchandise is sold with their name on it.
“When I’m in college, I hope to have a few NIL deals just so I can have some money,” Butrum said. “College life is hard and especially if you aren’t getting a lot of money from your college, it’s just a good way to get yourself out there and have a good media presence.”
Even through these major changes, signing day remains a rite of passage for athletes looking to pursue their sport collegiately.
“I was so excited for signing day the atmosphere was just amazing,” Vathy said. ”Everyone was super excited, you know, the feeling that you’re in a room with a bunch of other people who are feeling the same way you are, like, you’re just excited to get to the next chapter. You finally fully got to the point where you are gonna play at the next level, and it was just super amazing, having all your friends and your family and they’re supporting you, like everyone watching you and all your hard work finally paid off. It was just an amazing feeling.”
