EPHS student-athletes sign college commitments under new NCAA rules

Seven Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) seniors have signed athletic aid agreements with the NCAA, committing to play sports at the colleges of their choice.

The students who signed, along with their sports and colleges, are:

• Eliana Auerbach, swimming, Northeastern University.
• Rae Ehrman, basketball, University of Montana.
• Ella Hardwick, basketball, La Salle University.
• Isaiah Hazekamp, lacrosse, Rockhurst University.
• Maya Miller, softball, University of Minnesota Duluth.
• Drew Ploof, swimming, University of Missouri.
• Tori Schlagel, basketball, University of South Dakota.

Jaysen Anderson, EPHS principal, said, “We celebrate our student-athletes who signed their (commitment letters) to compete at the collegiate level – an amazing achievement that reflects your hard work and perseverance.”

Anderson also thanked the teachers, coaches, and staff who guided and supported these students. “Together, you all show what it means to soar as Eagles,” he said.

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New rules eliminate traditional NLI

These seven students are among the first to sign under new NCAA rules, eliminating the traditional, legally binding National Letter of Intent (NLI).

Since 1964, NLIs have been a major part of the college recruiting process for Division I and II schools. These legally binding agreements between the NCAA and recruits required students to attend the institution listed on the NLI for one academic year in exchange for athletic financial aid for the same period.

However, on Oct. 9, the NCAA adopted changes to its signing rules, transitioning NLI program protections into signing and recruiting rules, effective immediately. The new athletic aid rules can be found on the organization’s website.

Meghan Durham Wright, associate director of communications for the NCAA, said, “The National Letter of Intent – which was previously administered by the Conference Commissioners Association and not the NCAA national office – will now be transitioned into NCAA rules, with the key protections from the NLI applied to written offers of admission or financial aid.”

Wright explained, “Previously, recruits/prospects could sign the NLI or could sign a written offer of admission/financial aid from a school when they committed. Signing a written offer of admission/aid was an increasingly common practice in more recent years. Now, the rules that formerly prohibited other NCAA schools from recruiting a prospect who had signed the NLI will be applied for cases in which a prospect signs a written offer of admission/aid from a school.”

The new program still binds schools to provide financial aid to players once the letter is signed and prohibits other schools from recruiting that player. However, it no longer binds players to their college, either before enrollment or during the school year. This change gives students more flexibility and freedom to change programs without penalty if they choose to do so.

This change comes as the NCAA is working on other major changes that favor student-athletes. These include eliminating scholarship limits and implementing amateurism rules that allow student-athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness.