Historic Change in NCAA Recruiting Policy

In a significant shift for college athletics, the NCAA Division I Council has announced the immediate elimination of the national letter of intent (NLI) program, marking the end of a 60-year tradition. This new decision, revealed on Wednesday, will alter the recruiting landscape for prospective student-athletes in profound ways.

The NLI program, which has been a formal binding agreement between athletes and college programs since 1964, will now be replaced with a new financial aid agreement. This change is expected to keep many of the same core functions as the NLI, while possibly linking to a newly developed revenue-sharing model across college sports.

Under the updated rules, transfer athletes may sign with a new school once they’ve officially entered the transfer portal. The NCAA also stated that once a prospect signs a written offer of athletic aid, other schools will not be allowed to conduct any recruiting communications.

This decision is a response to broader transformations within the NCAA, particularly the impending House settlement set to provide approximately $2.8 billion in damages to current and former college athletes. This settlement could enable college programs to begin paying their athletes over $20 million annually as soon as the fall of next year, pending approval during a final hearing scheduled for April 7, 2025.

The dissolution of the NLI program follows policy changes made by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, allowing athletes to withdraw from NLI agreements without penalties under specific circumstances, such as coaching changes. This policy has been in place for athletes enrolling in the 2024-25 academic year.

Looking forward, further changes to the NCAA recruiting calendar may also be on the horizon, particularly for football. Earlier this year, college commissioners chose not to formally vote on adding a June high school signing period. The early signing period for the 2025 cycle will begin on December 4, 2024, while the traditional signing period is set to commence on February 5, 2025.