Doing away with National Letters of Intent changes absolutely nothing for CFB

In late August, it was reported that the NCAA was evaluating the need for National Letters of Intent, a big step for most high school athletes who are looking to compete at the next level.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, the NCAA ruled that athletes will no longer sign NLIs when they initially commit to a collegiate program.

For the last six decades (since 1964), NLIs have been the standard for high school players of any sport who are moving onto the next level. They have been viewed as a binding contract between the player and the school as the two move into the next step of their 'relationship.'

However, with the ever-changing world of collegiate athletics – the transfer portal, NIL deals, and more – the NCAA doesn't see a real need for the NLIs any longer.

At the end of the day, for the past few years, NLIs have been a symbolic gesture more than anything else as players have been transferring in and out of collegiate programs at an increasing frequency. So, the NCAA ridding of National Letters of Intent doesn't really change anything.

Sure, kids won't get the opportunity for the photo ops behind the decked-out tables full of balloons, pictures, and merchandise. However, that's honestly the biggest difference that football fans will notice.

Most fans don't even realize it's National Signing Day until their favorite college team starts posting every single athlete the program has added to its roster.

Previously, after signing an NLI, athletes had to attend an institution, full-time, for a complete year. However, NLI penalties changed last year, no longer sidelining athletes for a semester if they signed a request for release after a coach or staff change.

While National Letters of Intent will no longer exist, written aid offers (scholarships) for players are going to stick around.

Alongside the change to NLIs and commitments from players coming out of high school, the NCAA shortened transfer windows in the Big 3 sports (football, men's basketball, and women's basketball). For all three sports, the transfer windows have shortened from 45 days to just 30 days.

As college athletics continue to shape shift, players and coaches at all levels will have to adjust how they go about attacking their sports and their futures.

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