Seniors: Fight for your athletic future as the NCAA regular signing period looms

Springtime is a time of year for renewal and that goes for high school seniors, too.  There is so much emphasis placed on early signing periods that many seniors and their parents panic over not having signed in November.  In fact, most high school athletes sign during the April 17 to August 1 regular signing period.

College coaches do try to get their top recruits to sign a National Letter of Intent in November, but they usually only secure the formal and legal commitment of between 20 and 40 percent of their targeted athletes.  The hype surrounding the early signing period is mostly media driven, but that doesn’t lessen the anxiety which prospects and parents typically experience as the days count down to April 17.

Seniors at this point, with a five weeks to go before the ESP begins, should be doing their very best to demonstrate their desire to sign with their top choices.  Moreover, it would be wise to leave their “dream” schools out of that mix.  If a dream college coach is not responding, the deal has been done with other athletes and it’s time for hopeful athletes to move on to other, more promising options.  Making phone calls to the coaches is the best alternative.  Point blank, ask the coaches if there is still an opportunity to sign an NLI.  And if the coach has narrowed his or her list to you and another athlete, make a plea by stating your case and desire to play for the coach and to get an education at that school.  Talk about how good the fit is in terms of location, program quality, facilities and education.  Go after it will enthusiasm.  And, it’s okay to take this tactic with several schools in hopes of getting multiple offers.

From now until April 17, seniors cannot sit back and wait.  It’s a competition and the stakes are high.