It's finally here, the first day of the Early Signing Period in NCAA Division I & II Tennis (and many other sports). I've gotten a few emails already; Texas A & M is understandably eager to get the word out on their signings of Austin Krajicek and Wil Spencer; and Bryan Shelton of Georgia Tech also has two blue chips he is now allowed to comment on publicly. The Fighting Illini are also announcing two five-star signings for the women's team today. While you're at the Illinois site, check out their coverage of the Champaign Challenger. Ryan Rowe, with his win this evening over Brian Wilson, has reached the quarterfinals and will earn 14 ATP points, nearly three times as many as the 5 that currently have him ranked 1143.
Although I'm hardly an unbiased observer as a regular contributor, I really appreciate what The Tennis Recruiting Network has done for college tennis in providing a ranking system. It gives all these press releases a common source for rating players and it is rare now, just over two years after the site was launched, to see any school or media article that doesn't use it as a reference point. It has given college tennis recruiting the same language as that of the major revenue sports, and that is a positive step in keeping college tennis programs viable.
Okay, so what is it that everyone is signing? It's a National Letter of Intent, and if you're interested, it can be found here. The primary benefit to the student-athlete seems to be that they know what they'll be getting in athletic aid their first academic year, and they can't be recruited anymore. But here's an interesting sentence from the text. "If the conditions stated on the financial aid offer are not met, this NLI shall be declared null and void." So the school doesn't come through with the money and all the recruit gets is a chance to do the process all over again, when most of the scholarships (especially for boys) will be taken? Maybe I'm reading that wrong, but it doesn't sound like the school has much to lose. Somebody better comes along in April, you don't give the November signee as much as you said you would and voila, you're out of the first contract. And the signee still has to get into school, has to stay if the coach leaves, etc., etc. It seems like one party is assuming most of the risk, and it isn't the school.
Although I'm hardly an unbiased observer as a regular contributor, I really appreciate what The Tennis Recruiting Network has done for college tennis in providing a ranking system. It gives all these press releases a common source for rating players and it is rare now, just over two years after the site was launched, to see any school or media article that doesn't use it as a reference point. It has given college tennis recruiting the same language as that of the major revenue sports, and that is a positive step in keeping college tennis programs viable.
Okay, so what is it that everyone is signing? It's a National Letter of Intent, and if you're interested, it can be found here. The primary benefit to the student-athlete seems to be that they know what they'll be getting in athletic aid their first academic year, and they can't be recruited anymore. But here's an interesting sentence from the text. "If the conditions stated on the financial aid offer are not met, this NLI shall be declared null and void." So the school doesn't come through with the money and all the recruit gets is a chance to do the process all over again, when most of the scholarships (especially for boys) will be taken? Maybe I'm reading that wrong, but it doesn't sound like the school has much to lose. Somebody better comes along in April, you don't give the November signee as much as you said you would and voila, you're out of the first contract. And the signee still has to get into school, has to stay if the coach leaves, etc., etc. It seems like one party is assuming most of the risk, and it isn't the school.
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