LOA for recruited athlete...weird

I am not sure if this information will help to answer OP or anyone else reading this questions. My DS is/was a recruited athlete. He did not have an LOA and we know several other athletes in our area/district who did receive an LOA and a NOM and did not get into the academy. I don't think they ended up being selected as the principal Nom (my guess) Some people mistake signing day for the NLI as an LOA (which it is not) my DS's NLI read at the bottom *This is a non-binding document and therefore neither party is legally held liable to this agreement

I think its great the academies allow their student-athletes the opportunity to sign on signing day like traditional colleges. It truly was a great honor and experience for my DS. Just know that because one is signing does not guarantee that student has an LOA and even if they do there is still no guarantee they will receive a NOM or an appointment.

My DS did receive a NOM but was selected for USAFA Prep. Some say a Golden Ticket, I disagree. I think it is more of a Golden Opportunity. He still has to compete again for Noms this year and is STILL not guaranteed an Appointment. For him, this risk was well worth it. His desire to serve his country and the opportunity to commission through USAFA greater outweighed the other full-ride scholarships he was offered through traditional colleges. All of his NCAA recruiting trips he set up and met with ROTC Programs at the school to ensure he would be able to participate in ROTC and ensure the ROTC schedule would still allow him to be a student-athlete.
 
I am not sure if this information will help to answer OP or anyone else reading this questions. My DS is/was a recruited athlete. He did not have an LOA and we know several other athletes in our area/district who did receive an LOA and a NOM and did not get into the academy. I don't think they ended up being selected as the principal Nom (my guess) Some people mistake signing day for the NLI as an LOA (which it is not) my DS's NLI read at the bottom *This is a non-binding document and therefore neither party is legally held liable to this agreement

I think its great the academies allow their student-athletes the opportunity to sign on signing day like traditional colleges. It truly was a great honor and experience for my DS. Just know that because one is signing does not guarantee that student has an LOA and even if they do there is still no guarantee they will receive a NOM or an appointment.

My DS did receive a NOM but was selected for USAFA Prep. Some say a Golden Ticket, I disagree. I think it is more of a Golden Opportunity. He still has to compete again for Noms this year and is STILL not guaranteed an Appointment. For him, this risk was well worth it. His desire to serve his country and the opportunity to commission through USAFA greater outweighed the other full-ride scholarships he was offered through traditional colleges. All of his NCAA recruiting trips he set up and met with ROTC Programs at the school to ensure he would be able to participate in ROTC and ensure the ROTC schedule would still allow him to be a student-athlete.

The LOA stipulates that it an appointment is imminent IF you successfully complete what USAFA wants from you (CFA, DODMERB, grades etc). You only need a nomination and doesn't have to be a principal, you could be number 10/10 on a slate.
Those guys that had LOAs and nominations but didn't get in probably had other issues. We know of one kid with a nomination+LOA+CFA+DODMERB+grades who didn't get in because of underaged drinking. Nothing is guaranteed until you get that Offer of Appointment letter or email.
 
I am not sure if this information will help to answer OP or anyone else reading this questions. My DS is/was a recruited athlete. He did not have an LOA and we know several other athletes in our area/district who did receive an LOA and a NOM and did not get into the academy. I don't think they ended up being selected as the principal Nom (my guess) Some people mistake signing day for the NLI as an LOA (which it is not) my DS's NLI read at the bottom *This is a non-binding document and therefore neither party is legally held liable to this agreement

I think its great the academies allow their student-athletes the opportunity to sign on signing day like traditional colleges. It truly was a great honor and experience for my DS. Just know that because one is signing does not guarantee that student has an LOA and even if they do there is still no guarantee they will receive a NOM or an appointment.

My DS did receive a NOM but was selected for USAFA Prep. Some say a Golden Ticket, I disagree. I think it is more of a Golden Opportunity. He still has to compete again for Noms this year and is STILL not guaranteed an Appointment. For him, this risk was well worth it. His desire to serve his country and the opportunity to commission through USAFA greater outweighed the other full-ride scholarships he was offered through traditional colleges. All of his NCAA recruiting trips he set up and met with ROTC Programs at the school to ensure he would be able to participate in ROTC and ensure the ROTC schedule would still allow him to be a student-athlete.

That’s a really good point. The whole NLI thing. I bet that does cause some misunderstanding/confusion about LOA/Recruited athlete....

Good luck to your son!!
 
It’s been posted a number of times before in other threads, but I’ll say it here.

Terms like recruited athlete, National letter of intent, blue chip, etc. do not mean anything similar at the academy compared to what they mean at a traditional school. Those terms are ONLY used because it’s something the 17-18 year old applicant and their parents can relate to. The academy does compete for athletes. No denying that. But their standards are obviously higher as are their expectations.

A recruited athlete in a typical university, especially a blue chip, is most likely going to receive an athletic scholarship. The academy doesn’t give out scholarships. If a recruited scholarship athlete at a traditional university has a change of heart when they get to their school, and doesn’t want play the sport, they lose their scholarship and probably has to disenroll from school. At the academy, if an athlete decides they don’t want to play the sport any longer, they simply are a normal cadet like everyone else.

If an individual signs a letter of intent for school “A” and changes their mind later and wants to go to another school, they can be forced to sit out an entire season and not be allowed to play at the new school. In other words, signing the NLI is a binding contract. What you sign on national signing day for the academy is not binding. Neither is the appoint,ent. 1 day before basic training, you can change your mind and not show up. Once in the academy, you can simply quit. If you get a better offer to play sports at a different university, you can go to school there and play. Nothing is binding at the academy for the first 2 years.

Blue chip, NLI, recruited athlete, etc. are simply terms a recruited athlete can relate to so they can compare at least apples to oranges instead of apples to fuel injectors, when deciding on which school to attend.

Of the 50-60 football players recruited at Air Force each year, approximately 10 will be cut from the team before the first season is over. Another 10-20 will be cut in spring training during their first year at the academy. More will be let go the following season. By the senior year, there will only be around 15-20 football players who are seniors still on the team. But the other 30 were still cadets and probably graduated and become officers like everyone else. Of the limited few in a traditional school who received a scholarship to play ball, those 10-20 are on the team. But if they do anything against the rules, they can lose their scholarship and basically be kicked off the team and out of school.

My son was a recruited athlete. Football. But he didn’t get recruited until the end of November, and he already received an appointment in a October. (Yes, it’s rare, but some can get appointments before January, February, March, or April). He did the signing day and all the pomp and circumstances. He played football for the first year at the academy. The 2nd year, there were too many at his position and he was cut. It hurt at the time, but no regrets. He was still a cadet. Same as he was before getting recruited.

And looking back, he says getting cut was the best thing that happened to him. While he pulled off a 4.0gpa the first year at the academy, it was tough. School and football. Getting cut, he concentrated more on the academy, making friend, grades, girl friend, traveling, etc. He got to go to Peru and England. A lot of snowboarding. (Coach wouldn’t let him do that as a football player). He graduated #7 out of roughly 1000 at the academy. Got selected to grad school out of the academy and finished his masters in 1 year and his PHD In 2 more years. And he’s in the career field he wanted.

I bring this up for those who are interested in playing sports at the academy. You don’t need to have an LOA to be a recruited athlete. Unlike a traditional school, once at the academy, you aren’t committed to staying in the sport if your interests change. Unlike a traditional school where you don’t get to stay in school if you quit the team. (Unless you want to pay your own way). Even though you may be called a recruited athlete at the academy, there’s no assurance you’ll still be on the team the 2nd-4th Year’s. And if you aren’t, so what. You’re still a cadet. You can still,graduate from one of the premier schools in the country. Still get commissioned and serve your country. Athletics are not the primary purpose at the academy.

And if I’ve discouraged anyone applying, because their passion and main goal is to play NCAA sports in college, then I’m glad. You should reconsider the academy and think about a traditional school. The academy’s main purpose is to train future military leaders. Athletics are important. It is the most closely related activity to the military and its concept of “Team Work”. Nothing can compare. That’s why more than 90% of all cadets played organized sports in their high school years, and why the military puts so much I,portable on athletics. It’s not the physical fitness part. It’s the teamwork, team building, common goals, etc. that is instilled in the individuals.

If you can play sports at the NCAA level at the academy, good for you. It’s a lot of fun and hard work. If your sports help in your application to get an appoint, that’s great too. Some excel in grades, some leadership, some in other activities like music, and some excel in sports. Make sure your application emphasizes what you excel in. The academy wants well rounded individuals. But remember..... the academy is only 4 years long. It’s not the goal or end game. It’s a path to the “Big Show”. Becoming a commissioned military officer, leader, and defender of our country.
 
@Christcorp AWESOME post!! Wonderful explanation. Until a person has been through the whole recruiting/NLI thing, it’s very confusing in and of itself. Throw in apple to jet fuel (hahah) and that only adds to it. Can’t blame the general public. They only relate to ‘NLI’.

[emoji121]️consider for ‘sticky stardom’, if not already?
 
Great post by Christcorp. As a former blue chip for basketball, I am very familiar with this entire process. NLI doesn’t exist for a SA. If kids sign anything that day its either their appointment or some fake sheet of paper. It’s sort of like when someone reads an article about a football player committing to a SA in the summer before their section year. Its not a real commitment, nor has the player been appointed. Sure a SA could solve the nomination part easily with a Supt’s Nom, but they still have to be 3Q which includes DoDMERB. There are always some who “commit” who don’t make it into the next class for various reasons, some by choice.
 
Sports are just one more element in the list of things people really don’t understand about the service academies, unless they have been through the process.
 
I hear it all the time. "My daughter plays high school basketball. The Air Force Academy offered her a full ride scholarship to play basketball" (of course she hasn't even applied yet) or "when I graduated high school I was offered a scholarship to play baseball at Annapolis" (again, this guy never applied. Or my favorite, "my grandfather knew the football coach at Army. I had a scholarship to there, sure wish I'd have taken it."

I think people assume that if a coach contacts you, or comes and sees you play that an appointment is automatic. It isn't.

When it comes to the academy application, nomination, medical, and appointment processes, most folks don't have a clue.
 
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