This is why I still read SI--

--and it's not the Swimsuit Edition. It's the thoughtful, critical, and objective assessments of what many take to be the status quo. ESPN is too far in bed with the sports/leagues they cover to do a piece like this and give it justice.



Here it is--why top recruits should NOT sign an NLI:



http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/02/09/national-letter-intent-punt-pass-pork" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good article, I makes some very interesting points.

Good article. I think just about everyone should forego the NLI until the 4 year scholarship is guaranteed.

As a fan of the sport, I hope they never have to go to 4 year guaranteed scholarships. That may sound cold towards the players. It's not meant to be.



If 1 out of 3 recruits turns into a contributor, it's considered a successful class. 50% is outstanding, even at the Alabama's and USC's of the world. In that case, you're guaranteeing somewhere between 50 and 67 percent of your scholarships are non-contributors for 4 years, with no way to move them out of the program.

stuckinbig10country wrote:
As a fan of the sport, I hope they never have to go to 4 year guaranteed scholarships. That may sound cold towards the players. It's not meant to be.



If 1 out of 3 recruits turns into a contributor, it's considered a successful class. 50% is outstanding, even at the Alabama's and USC's of the world. In that case, you're guaranteeing somewhere between 50 and 67 percent of your scholarships are non-contributors for 4 years, with no way to move them out of the program.

Outside of injuries I think I'm in this camp. I think of all the complaining and talking that's been going on with players getting paid the ones I have to agree with are the ones that sustain long term injuries that are not taken care of by the schools. I don't know how you ever decide who/what to help and what not to though.



As far as the article though doesn't it say that even without a letter of intent you're still locked in eventually once you sign you scholarship agreement? The NLI isn't what holds you from transferring as I understand it. It just locks you in sooner than you need to be but only by a few weeks/months.

I don't think the 4-year scholarship to be offered by B1G and PAC are counted against the team limit of 85 until the athletes are playing.



The way things stand now any guy with multiple scholarship offers should avoid signing a NLI. That way, if you believe that the purpose of university athletics is an educational endeavor (I don't), the students can transfer at any time to get a better education just like any other student.



BTW I'm glad Harvey Langi didn't sign a NLI. I think Bronco should tell every recruit not to sign a NLI if they are considering a mission.