Bob Gibbons thinks so.
The national recruiting expert - his All-Star Report is one of the most prestigious recruiting publications in the country - said signing an institutional letter, also known as a tender letter, is a better way to go.
"An institutional letter accomplishes the same thing as a national letter of intent as far as guaranteeing a scholarship," Gibbons said, "but it allows you to get out of it if the coach leaves or you change your mind."
Jennifer Brinegar, Indiana University assistant athletic director in charge of compliance, is more blunt.
"A national letter of intent doesn't help student athletes," she said. "It binds them to a school without giving them much back."
Most players don't know anything about institutional letters, also known as athletic tender letters. In fact, none of the players interviewed last week at Nike All-American Camp on the IUPU-Indianapolis campus had heard of them.
"I don't know anything about it," Indianapolis North Central High School guard A.J. Ratliff said. "But it sounds like a good plan."
A national letter of intent (NLI) guarantees a scholarship for one year (not four, although renewal for the remaining years is the norm). In return, a player commits to a university for a year. Leaving before that first year could cost a player two years of eligibility, although it's usually one as long as the player received a qualifying release from the school. A head coaching change or NCAA sanctions aren't sufficient reasons for leaving.
With a tender letter, basically a written scholarship promise from the coach and university officials, recruits are still assured of getting a scholarship, but aren't locked into that school until they enroll on the first day of the semester.
"With a tender letter, you can change your mind and go to another school," Brinegar said. "You can do it in the summer. You can go to the rival institution. It doesn't matter."
Signing a NLI is voluntary. The NCAA does not require it. In fact, the NCAA doesn't administer it at all. That is done by the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA).
"We have nothing to do with the national letter of intent," said NCAA official Bill Saum. He is the director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. "As far as whether or not an athlete should sign, he has to do what is best for him."
Most athletes say it's best to sign.
"There's always a chance another player could get your scholarship," said Andre Allen, a highly regarded point guard from Memphis, TN. "If you don't sign, it becomes a game of chance. There are a lot of angles. The coach could give that scholarship to somebody else."
According to the NLI website, the letter was created in 1964 to "provide certainty in the recruiting process" as well as reduce recruiting time and expense for the institution and limit recruiting pressure for the player.
"Schools prefer to have a national letter of intent," Brinegar said. "It protects the institution to have a kid committed for at least a year."
More than 500 colleges in the country participate in the NLI program. The exceptions are the Ivy League, service academies and the Patriot League, which don't offer athletic scholarships.
The NLI offers two advantages over the tender letter-it can be signed in the November as well as the April signing periods (tenders can only be signed in April) and it stops the recruiting process.
"Once a kid signs an NLI," Brinegar said, "other schools can't recruit him. That's the only positive for the student-athlete."
For a high-profile recruit like Malik Hairston of Detroit, the nation's No. 1 shooting guard who is considering offers from Kansas, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan State, Arizona, Cincinnati and Connecticut, that can be a big positive.
"Sometimes it gets to be a little much," Hairston said, "but even when it is, I have to suck it up and take it. You have to take the bitter with the sweet."
Purdue coach Gene Keady said he wouldn't have a problem with recruits signing tenders instead of national letters.
"I think it's a good idea," he said. "Most kids today sign for the coach and not the institution. It might not be right. It might not be the philosophy of the educators, but it's the truth. Things happen and kids might want to go somewhere else."
IU coach Mike Davis said players should consider the school as much as the coach.
"The majority of the kids sign with the school," he said. "They say it's the coach, but it's got to be more than that. Kids should pick the school for the right reason and that is that the school offers what you want, academically and athletically."
While institutional letters offer more freedom, it comes with risk-coaches might prefer locking up a player in the fall with a NLI. However, the better the player, the more likely coaches would wait. Still, even for someone like North Central's Ratliff, who is fielding scholarship offers from Kansas, Purdue, Xavier, Memphis and North Carolina State, the risk seems too great.
"I know Kansas is not going to hold a scholarship," he said. "They'd be like, `If you don't want to sign, then obviously you don't want to come here, so we'll give it to somebody else.'
"I'm not sure it's worth it."
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2003/07/13/news/sports/sports02.txt
The national recruiting expert - his All-Star Report is one of the most prestigious recruiting publications in the country - said signing an institutional letter, also known as a tender letter, is a better way to go.
"An institutional letter accomplishes the same thing as a national letter of intent as far as guaranteeing a scholarship," Gibbons said, "but it allows you to get out of it if the coach leaves or you change your mind."
Jennifer Brinegar, Indiana University assistant athletic director in charge of compliance, is more blunt.
"A national letter of intent doesn't help student athletes," she said. "It binds them to a school without giving them much back."
Most players don't know anything about institutional letters, also known as athletic tender letters. In fact, none of the players interviewed last week at Nike All-American Camp on the IUPU-Indianapolis campus had heard of them.
"I don't know anything about it," Indianapolis North Central High School guard A.J. Ratliff said. "But it sounds like a good plan."
A national letter of intent (NLI) guarantees a scholarship for one year (not four, although renewal for the remaining years is the norm). In return, a player commits to a university for a year. Leaving before that first year could cost a player two years of eligibility, although it's usually one as long as the player received a qualifying release from the school. A head coaching change or NCAA sanctions aren't sufficient reasons for leaving.
With a tender letter, basically a written scholarship promise from the coach and university officials, recruits are still assured of getting a scholarship, but aren't locked into that school until they enroll on the first day of the semester.
"With a tender letter, you can change your mind and go to another school," Brinegar said. "You can do it in the summer. You can go to the rival institution. It doesn't matter."
Signing a NLI is voluntary. The NCAA does not require it. In fact, the NCAA doesn't administer it at all. That is done by the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA).
"We have nothing to do with the national letter of intent," said NCAA official Bill Saum. He is the director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. "As far as whether or not an athlete should sign, he has to do what is best for him."
Most athletes say it's best to sign.
"There's always a chance another player could get your scholarship," said Andre Allen, a highly regarded point guard from Memphis, TN. "If you don't sign, it becomes a game of chance. There are a lot of angles. The coach could give that scholarship to somebody else."
According to the NLI website, the letter was created in 1964 to "provide certainty in the recruiting process" as well as reduce recruiting time and expense for the institution and limit recruiting pressure for the player.
"Schools prefer to have a national letter of intent," Brinegar said. "It protects the institution to have a kid committed for at least a year."
More than 500 colleges in the country participate in the NLI program. The exceptions are the Ivy League, service academies and the Patriot League, which don't offer athletic scholarships.
The NLI offers two advantages over the tender letter-it can be signed in the November as well as the April signing periods (tenders can only be signed in April) and it stops the recruiting process.
"Once a kid signs an NLI," Brinegar said, "other schools can't recruit him. That's the only positive for the student-athlete."
For a high-profile recruit like Malik Hairston of Detroit, the nation's No. 1 shooting guard who is considering offers from Kansas, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan State, Arizona, Cincinnati and Connecticut, that can be a big positive.
"Sometimes it gets to be a little much," Hairston said, "but even when it is, I have to suck it up and take it. You have to take the bitter with the sweet."
Purdue coach Gene Keady said he wouldn't have a problem with recruits signing tenders instead of national letters.
"I think it's a good idea," he said. "Most kids today sign for the coach and not the institution. It might not be right. It might not be the philosophy of the educators, but it's the truth. Things happen and kids might want to go somewhere else."
IU coach Mike Davis said players should consider the school as much as the coach.
"The majority of the kids sign with the school," he said. "They say it's the coach, but it's got to be more than that. Kids should pick the school for the right reason and that is that the school offers what you want, academically and athletically."
While institutional letters offer more freedom, it comes with risk-coaches might prefer locking up a player in the fall with a NLI. However, the better the player, the more likely coaches would wait. Still, even for someone like North Central's Ratliff, who is fielding scholarship offers from Kansas, Purdue, Xavier, Memphis and North Carolina State, the risk seems too great.
"I know Kansas is not going to hold a scholarship," he said. "They'd be like, `If you don't want to sign, then obviously you don't want to come here, so we'll give it to somebody else.'
"I'm not sure it's worth it."
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2003/07/13/news/sports/sports02.txt
