Bobby J national letter intent

You say you have a full scholarship. Football National Latter of Intent signing for football is from Feb 3rd to April 1st according to NLT web site. If you have not signed a NLT its moot. If you do sign then you you are bound to the school you signed with. if you do not the they can issue penalities against you like sitting out a year. However this is for member schools. West Point is not a member school and does not fall under the National Letter of Intent Program.

Example you could commit to West Point and then go someplace else and there is no penality except your word., because they ask for commitment from athletes but do not ask them to sign anything. I hope this helps.

However if you sign with someone its called honor and commitment.

This would have been better as a PM

I have met with the coach from Eastern NM and the offered me a scholarship. what is the latest i can sign. With a school because i dont want to get caught signing early and then receiving an appointment and not get to attend the greatest academic and military institution in the world.

Are you being recruited or do you wish to play for West Point as well?

As I said, according to the site, latest for signing for football April 1st. Other sports have different signing dates. Go to www.national-letter.org This has all your answers. The site does not address West Point because as I said they are not a member. You can also go to ncaa.org or call them. They will answer all your questions.

According to the coaches that are recruiting my son, the SA do not participate in NLI day.

In my opinion, signing a letter of intent and then giving it up to go to a SA is not an honor violation. However, you are not under the honor code until you take the oath on R Day. If you signed in good faith, but then your top choice opens up, you are crazy not to take it (again,my opinion). Could you put in your letter that you intent to go to school A unless you receive an offer from WP? Perhaps that would make you feel better...just be up front w/ the coaches of both schools. If you are a recruited athlete for WP, I am surprised you have not had something verbal from the coach like "you will receive an appointment once you clear X, Y, or Z."

True that - the SA's do NOT participate in the NLI program. When you see candidates "signing" with an Academy it is not binding to either party but merely a PR formality.

I agree with mom3boys. If you are presented with an offer and that is the best offer you have by a deadline then take it.
If you sign a letter of intent and later on are offered an appointment to West Point and accept that - that is NOT dishonorable. it is not even outside the spirit of the letter of intent.

These recruiting questions really need to be answered by the admissions staff and coaches.

First I take it that the word Honor came from my orgional post of where I said honor and committemnt. I was not talking about the Honor Code of WP. I was speaking about honoring a committment you make and living up to that committment. Taking an oath does not make one have honor. I have raised to beleive that if you make a committment you live by it. That is what I was speaking of.

No you cannot put in a Letter of Intent that I will take your offer but if WP comes through I will cancel. First, what big time coach would even consider doing sometning like that. College sports recruiting is a business and the coach's are out to recruit the best players. If they give you a deadline to make a decision and if you do not decide in a timely manor they will move on. Also understand that if you are recruited athlete, and coach really wants you, they put a considerable time, effort and money into recruiting you.

I do not how WP football does it, but I can tell you that other coach's at WP, recruit you, you make an official visit, they say I want you, you make a committment, and then you wait. I have one last question. Do you think it would be honorable to commit to a coach at WP then sign with another school. Its legal, but what do you think the WP coach would think.

There was no disrespect meant to anyone, I just wanted to make it claer as to what I meant and what athlete recruiting was all about.

Racer1 - I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

We are talking about a 17-18 year old who has to make decisions on his future based on the opportunities presented to him at the time.
It is not an honor violation or dishonorable or unethical - for him to sign a letter of intent by the deadline if that is the only outstanding offer he has.
It would be ludicrous to expect this young man to turn down an opportunity while waiting for an appointment that may or may not come. He could then be left with - nothing.


If he had an appointment to WP AND signed a letter of intent to another school - that would be deception. However, this is not the case.
If after the letter of intent is signed - AND he receives an offer to WP, he certainly may accept the offer in good conscience.

Do you think it would be honorable to commit to a coach at WP then sign with another school. Its legal, but what do you think the WP coach would think.

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You can't because there is no way you can *commit* to a coach at WP. In fact, if you are recruited, show up for Beast and decide not to play - you can.

Just a Mom: I agree with you that we can agree to disagree. I think you missed my point. All I was saying is that if you make a committment you should honor that committment. Its not a law or an honor violation, its how one beleives. As I said in my previous post, West Point is not involved in the Letter of Intent and yes you can quit any time. However I can assure that if you told a coach you were going to WP and then backed out they would not be happy, but you are right there is nothing they can do.

Regarding 17 or 18 year olds making a decision that effects the rest of their live's, you are correct about most kids but not all. I am 17, and I was recruited by several top schools and I was offered scholarships, and asked to commit in November way before my nomination and I had to make a decision. (Football does not have to commit till Feb) Take a sure thing and then back out or wait for West Point. I chose to wait. We all have different belief systems. I could not in good conscensen commit to a school that spent time and money recruiting me knowing that if got into WP I would be going there.

I hope you can see my point, as I am just giving my opnion and how I deal with committment.

Racer1 I can see what you mean about honoring a commitment. Although Lets say that feb comes around and no appointment has arrived at my door. i will sign with Eastern NM. Then, If an appointment came in march ( when most appointments arrive) then I think any football coach would understand that WP is the greatest school in the nation and they would want me to go there despite the recruiting they have done. And if they didnt I would still go to WP. I have been up front with the coach From ENMU about WP and how it is my first choice. He understands that and told me that anyone who gets into westpoint better go, or they're an idiot.

Racer1 - Sure, honor a commitment - HOWEVER - you guys are being put in the untenable position of having to make a decision without all information and options being presented to you. That is the difference.
In your case - you were recruited by WP and received your appointment back in November, Congratulations on that!
I am not sure you would feel the same way if April rolled around and you had passed on good opportunities and still had not received an appointment.

Bobby J - best of luck to you!

BOBBY_J said:

Racer1 I can see what you mean about honoring a commitment. Although Lets say that feb comes around and no appointment has arrived at my door. i will sign with Eastern NM. Then, If an appointment came in march ( when most appointments arrive) then I think any football coach would understand that WP is the greatest school in the nation and they would want me to go there despite the recruiting they have done. And if they didnt I would still go to WP. I have been up front with the coach From ENMU about WP and how it is my first choice. He understands that and told me that anyone who gets into westpoint better go, or they're an idiot.

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I know this is a hard position to be in and this is where you make the right decisions for your life. As long as you have explained to upfront than you are in no Honor Violation also you must honor yourself after all it's your life....

Thanks Just A mom !!!

Just a Mom: I did not receive my appointment in November. I received it the first part of December. National letter of intent is in the first two weeks of November. So yes I did have to make a decison. I passed on my offers in November and I waited. If I had not been admitted to WP I would have gone to a second choice and still made a team. I was early admitted to, two other very fine academy schools. Lets just end this with everyone is different.

I respect all of your post as I think you have some very good information and some good insite. Maybe I just think different and have a different set of values. That does not make either one of us wrong.

Have a great day.