What happens If a athlete verbally commits to a university but doesn’t sign a NLI ?
Nothing happens. The player is free to sign or not sign a National Letter of Intent. Even if the player does sign a NLI they can formally request the Institution grant a full release. In most cases, a release will be granted. If the Coach / Institution choose to block the release the player can appeal the decision.
Verbal commitments go both ways, the coach / school are under no obligation to honor the commitment and the player / parents (parents must sign NLI as well if the player is not 18) are under no obligation to honor the verbal commitment. More time than not it is the player who decides to not follow through on the verbal commitment. I would imagine that with the recruiting changes put in place over the past couple of years we will see fewer de-commits.
