LOA for recruited athlete...weird

Tptb518

Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Messages
31
I am currently applying to USAFA and I also will be a recruited athlete.

This is the weird thing: my drive to USAFA happened before I was considered a recruited athlete. The end of 8th grade was when I decided I wanted to serve in the AD AF and I have been striving for USAFA ever since. The sport I play and my interactions with the coach only happened in 11th grade (this year) for me. My point is that I would be very competitive for an appointment with out being a recruited athlete.

My question is about LOAs. How often does the academy issue LOAs? Do they offer them to recruited athletes mainly?
 
Does anyone know how much weight coaches have with regard to admissions?
 
I am soooooo nosy! What IS your sport?! You must be a rising star! (While my DS is great at what he does, he'd never have been a recruited athlete.)
pp

PS: this is just awesome! I am really excited for you!
 
Your post isn't clear whether you HAVE gotten an LOA or are HOPING you do. Every 'recruited' athlete does not get an LOA and being recruited can mean a LOT of different things and is no guarantee of an appointment. There are many older threads that discuss being recruited for an SA sport.
 
In the past, plenty of recruited athletes have not received appointments. Being recruited in some sports might carry more weight that being recruited for other sports. Star football QB in high school who won the national championship? Yeah, you might get an appointment. Golf? Not so much.
 
I am currently applying to USAFA and I also will be a recruited athlete.

This is the weird thing: my drive to USAFA happened before I was considered a recruited athlete. The end of 8th grade was when I decided I wanted to serve in the AD AF and I have been striving for USAFA ever since. The sport I play and my interactions with the coach only happened in 11th grade (this year) for me. My point is that I would be very competitive for an appointment with out being a recruited athlete.

My question is about LOAs. How often does the academy issue LOAs? Do they offer them to recruited athletes mainly?

Getting an LOA from any SAs means that SA really want you in their class based on what they see. Not sure the actual number given each year but I saw about 35-50 range. This means you are their top candidate as an athlete, scholar, and or leader. You can be all or fit into one of this category as an outlier.

You really have to offer something special and extraordinary in order to get an LOA. There’s probably about 300 who are Academic stars and 100 Academic super stars. These top 100 are competing candidates to any top 15 US colleges. If you’re an athlete than I must assume you would have to be at least at the state level champion even better if you’re an Olympian. If you’re a leader than I have to assume you have achieved all and more what the academy has seen in leadership that surpasses most candidates. This includes national international world class level leadership and awards in your activities.

Don’t set your goal on LOA. You cannot ask for it nor expect it. SAs will choose who they want. The goal is the Appointment!
 
As mentioned, an LOA is unique and rare. It depends on the sport and how good you really are. Back in 2007, application year for class of 2012, of the 50+ “recruited” football players, only about a handful had an LOA. The vast majority went through the same process and had the same chances of an appointment as everyone else applying to the academy.

I agree with you that because of the unfair stereotype of recruited athletes and appointments, it is better to receive an appointment without being a recruited athlete in the equation. But again, it’s an unfair stereotype of recruited athletes. The majority of recruited athletes applying to the academy also have the same high gpa, act/sat scores, leadership, etc. that most non recruited athletes applicants have. I can’t tell you how many recruited athletes at the academy were in their high school top 10%, top all AP or IB classes, were class officers, etc. and I can’t tell you how many of these athletes graduated the academy at the top of their class, got accepted to grad school, medical school, law school, etc.

One good thing about appointments for the class of 2012 when my son applied, was that they gave out some actual appointments early in the cycle for those who were very competitive vs other applicants. Some in October and November. My son fell into this category. He got an appointment based on his application in October, and was later recruited as an athlete in November. He didn’t have to worry about the stereotype or anyone questioning how he got an appointment.

But again, LOA for recruited athletes are rare. Recruited athletes at the academy aren’t the same as at a tradition college or university. There are no athletic scholarships. Blue chip is simply a term used to make the athlete applicant feel good and able to compare to an athlete at a traditional school. A recruited athlete can be dropped from the team at the academy the first semester. Many are. Of the 50+ recruited athlete football players freshman year, less than 20 will still be on the team in their senior year. Because it’s not a scholarship, being dropped from the team doesn’t mean you’re out of the academy. The academy pseudo recruits much larger numbers so they have a chance of having a number that they can actually use on the team. But all those recruited athletes do qualify to be at the academy. Just like everyone else who received an appointment.

But as far as LOAs for athletes go, they are a very small number compared to recruited athletes as a whole. Again, terms like recruited athlete and blue chip are simply terms the academy uses to compete for athletes that are interested in other schools too. It’s simply marketing. But those terms don’t mean the same as with a traditional school. And LOAs are a very small percentage. But even an LOA doesn’t mean you’ll still be on the team after you get to the academy.

Best of luck.
 
As mentioned, an LOA is unique and rare. It depends on the sport and how good you really are. Back in 2007, application year for class of 2012, of the 50+ “recruited” football players, only about a handful had an LOA. The vast majority went through the same process and had the same chances of an appointment as everyone else applying to the academy.

I agree with you that because of the unfair stereotype of recruited athletes and appointments, it is better to receive an appointment without being a recruited athlete in the equation. But again, it’s an unfair stereotype of recruited athletes. The majority of recruited athletes applying to the academy also have the same high gpa, act/sat scores, leadership, etc. that most non recruited athletes applicants have. I can’t tell you how many recruited athletes at the academy were in their high school top 10%, top all AP or IB classes, were class officers, etc. and I can’t tell you how many of these athletes graduated the academy at the top of their class, got accepted to grad school, medical school, law school, etc.

One good thing about appointments for the class of 2012 when my son applied, was that they gave out some actual appointments early in the cycle for those who were very competitive vs other applicants. Some in October and November. My son fell into this category. He got an appointment based on his application in October, and was later recruited as an athlete in November. He didn’t have to worry about the stereotype or anyone questioning how he got an appointment.

But again, LOA for recruited athletes are rare. Recruited athletes at the academy aren’t the same as at a tradition college or university. There are no athletic scholarships. Blue chip is simply a term used to make the athlete applicant feel good and able to compare to an athlete at a traditional school. A recruited athlete can be dropped from the team at the academy the first semester. Many are. Of the 50+ recruited athlete football players freshman year, less than 20 will still be on the team in their senior year. Because it’s not a scholarship, being dropped from the team doesn’t mean you’re out of the academy. The academy pseudo recruits much larger numbers so they have a chance of having a number that they can actually use on the team. But all those recruited athletes do qualify to be at the academy. Just like everyone else who received an appointment.

But as far as LOAs for athletes go, they are a very small number compared to recruited athletes as a whole. Again, terms like recruited athlete and blue chip are simply terms the academy uses to compete for athletes that are interested in other schools too. It’s simply marketing. But those terms don’t mean the same as with a traditional school. And LOAs are a very small percentage. But even an LOA doesn’t mean you’ll still be on the team after you get to the academy.

Best of luck.

Not to mention, that a number of those recruited athletes may choose to drop their sport for various reasons like Grades/time commitment for example , after their first year.
 
Last edited:
Not to mention, that a number of those recruited athletes may choose to drop their sport for various reasons like Grades/time commitment for example , after their first year.

And unlike a traditional school "Recruited Athlete / Scholarship", an academy cadet can drop out of the sport and still be a cadet. A traditional "Recruited athlete" if they drop their sport, they will lose their scholarship if they had one and be on their own.
 
My DD is an IC at USAFA currently. Athletes are and should be judged by the same yardstick as every other potential appointee - good grades, good character, good health - no exceptions.
 
They are.

It’s just that some people think that when an applicant excels in and shows leadership in certain extra curricular activities such as scouts, CAP, JrROTC, band, class officer, clubs, jobs, volunteering, etc. that it is very meaningful; which it definitely is. But somehow if they excel and show leadership in athletics, it’s not as meaningful and that they are less deserving of an appointment.

When an incoming class of cadets have an average gpa of 3.86 and an average ACT of 30, that means that SOME cadets had a 3.6 gpa and/or some had a 26 ACT composite. And guess what? Not all of those were recruited athletes. In my son’s academy class, most of the recruited football players that year were at or above the average gpa and sat scores. I knew most of these young people. My son came in with a 4.0 gpa unweighted. Scored over 30 ACT. Was #1 class ranked. Received an early appointment in October and became a recruited athlete in November. And he was not alone or the exception. And for what it’s worth, he graduated the academy #7, got accepted to grad school, and finished his masters in less than 2 years and his PhD in less than 3 years total at age 25. And again, he wasn’t alone. I know a number of IC’s at the academy who went on to grad school, law school, and medical school. Many who went on to pilot training, graduated high in flight school. And the list goes on.

So the recruited athletes applying to the academy are being held to the same standards as all other applicants. Some people just need to accept the FACT that excelling and showing leadership in athletics is no less meaningful than any other extra curricular activity. For those still not convinced, read the second sticky on this forum titled “Sports and your academy application”. Scroll down the first post to the list of attributes athletics contributes to an individuals growth, and why it’s so important to the military. Which happens to be the ultimate TEAM environment. That list was provided to universities and colleges by the NCAA to help people understand and dispel the myth of the “Dumb Jock”. If people learned about programs such as “Play it smart sports” and others that work hard at ensuring student athletes are well rounded, including academically, they’d understand better. The academy and military are looking for well rounded individuals or demonstrate high levels of leadership and potential. They don’t want a bunch of dumb jocks, just like they don’t want academic brainiacs who have no achievements outside of the classroom.
 
...My point is that I would be very competitive for an appointment with out being a recruited athlete...
So you don't really need to be a recruited athlete, is what you're saying here.

Does anyone know how much weight coaches have with regard to admissions?
So is it good to be a recruited athlete (somehow making your "very competitive" into something slightly "very extra primo competitive"), is what you're asking here.

The short answer is sure, it's an advantage. With all things being equal, being a recruited athlete might just be the thing that gets you that offer.
Advantages don't have to be huge, they just have to be an advantage.

Letters of Assurance are few and far between. Don't count on one. They aren't as rare as Unicorns or the elusive CW5, but precious few applicants receive them.
No one (who isn't on the Admissions Board) really knows how many there are every year. Many folks in the know take a guess that they are in the range of 8% of all offers tendered.
Since they may actually give out about 1,300 Offers (which is an educated guess, as well) that makes for about 104 LOAs.
Since about 85% of all offers are accepted, that makes for a sworn-in class of about 1,105 Plebes on I-Day.
Of those 1,105 Plebes, only about 90 of them had LOAs (because about 14 of those LOA recipients declined their offers as well).
So don't count on getting an LOA, athlete or not. ;)

Yes, the numbers vary from year to year, based on attrition in the Brigade as a whole.
Last year, they gave out 1,376 offers and received 1,214 Plebes at I-Day. They are mandated to have a maximum of 4,400 Midshipmen in the Brigade, so if the 1C, 2C, and 3C classes add up to 3,250 (for example) they are authorized to admit no more than 1,150 Plebes. I would think that the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps may even dictate that they have 100 or more less than that maximum number from time to time.
 
Last edited:
I have another realization regarding the “LOA” after DS’s appointment experience over the last year. If one is looking at the appointment thread to determine how many are issued (where else would that info come from? I’m not sure...), I believe it to be deceptive, at least in how WE initially understood an LOA (and basically that view was “this is a superstar that we want”).

What I mean is that DS ‘technically’ received an LOA, as that is exactly what both the email, and his portal update said. For about a week. And so that’s how I reported it on the DIY thread (in fact I had to change it from ‘no LOA’ to LOA’). However that LOA was only for a weeks time (as they needed a body fat measurement from him after receiving that LOA). So once that info was received, an appointment was offered.

My point is that I feel like if a person looks at the LOA’s recorded in the threads....they really don’t represent at least MY thoughts on what a TRUE LOA is. So there are even less of them than it would appear. At least less than one (DS’s) on the USNA thread for the class of ‘22!

RE recruited athlete, as discussed: DS was one of those as well. Received a recruiting letter. So attended NASS to see what it was about. Ultimately applied (USAFA, USNA). He also later received an official visit (flown out, 48 hr NCAA visit). After he got back, his dad, myself and he spoke with Coach on speaker phone. He was told to peruse all noms he can on his own merits (of course). And that if he wasn’t able to secure any, the sports program MAY be able to find him one. No mention of any chip (blue, green, or any other color of the rainbow).

He secured his own 3 noms. 2 of them principal, one ranked slate.

For him, I believe the ‘recruited athlete’ played a bigger part in his nomination’s than with USNA saying ‘we want you’ via an LOA (by that, I mean that he talked about it with his MOC’s). And yes he meets all the other criteria (leader, EC’s, academics) independent of his recruitment. He also knows he still doesn’t have a spot on the team. And that if he does, he can be dropped any time. Or quit. Despite being ‘recruited’. Your sport should not be the main focus of applying.

There are soooooo many different pieces and parts. Do not hang all your hopes on any ONE element. It truly is a whole puzzle. Put together your whole you in the best way possible. There are NO two stories that are the same. Like an onion, there are many layers. But don’t count one individual thing to ‘get you in’ (LOA or recruitment). Good luck!!
 
Outstanding posts above. Not much to add, except to remind OP that an LOA is a “holding pattern” pending additional information. That additional information could be a nomination, a test score, a medical resolution, CFA results, any number of things that the academy needs to make a final decision. My DD received an LOA from USNA, USMA and USAFA — all for very different reasons.

So while coveted (understably so, as it’s a major milestone), an LOA is not the golden ticket itself. It’s a vote of confidence, to be sure, but you still need to clear the stated hurdle. Every year, some candidates can’t clear that hurdle and don’t receive an appointment. As a couple posters noted above, the ultimate goal is the appointment. Fix your sights on that.
 
Holding patter is a wonderful analogy! Love that.
 
You've been given A LOT of information from this thread. The thing I want to reiterate is that you do not need an LOA in order to get an appointment. It's a great boost of confidence to get. But to put it in perspective: academies will start handing out appointments almost as early as LOAs. And LOAs can also be given very late in the game.

Last year, USNA gave out their first LOA in September at a CVW (they posted it on their Instagram story). And academies started giving appointments in the fall as well (as some candidates already had nominations from JROTC, ROTC, or Presidential nominations).

LOAs are also given as late as the end of April. And appointments continue to be given during the Summer as spots open up for kids on the waitlist.

I hope that perspective helps!
 
And just some extra reiteration:

1. The vast majority of "Recruited Athletes" DON'T RECEIVE an LOA. They get in just like everyone else.
2. An LOA isn't a guarantee. I've seen quite a number of individuals who were given an LOA, and they DID NOT RECEIVE an APPOINTMENT. Either their grades didn't make it; or their ACT/SAT weren't high enough; or medical issues; and one simply didn't get ANY nominations. And even though he was a recruited athlete, there weren't enough "OTHER" type nominations available, and the academy didn't give him one. So, he didn't receive an appointment.

This isn't "Home Town University" where the "C" student with a 14 ACT can get a full ride scholarship because they're a sports superstar.
 
I wonder if it’s simply a misconception that Recruited athletes receive LOA’s? Bc how would anyone even know if a LOA was also a recruited athlete. Or if a recruited athlete receives an LOA?

And to state again, DS technically was a ‘recruited athlete with an LOA’, but only for a minute for a form. Not at all what I think a typical person would think an LOA is. Including myself....
 
Back
Top