Scholarship Limits - Withdrawals

[ladiesfirst]

I've read accounts of certain top-notch veteran players, often of high financial status, and due to scholarship limit considerations, assuming "non-scholarship status" to make room for certain highly-prized recruits. I have no knowledge of the legal (NCAA) limits/ramifications concerning such maneuvers.

When it comes to scholarship offers:

What are the stated rules/laws concerning withdrawing/resending scholarships?

Is it legal for a University to offer MORE scholarships than they can honor?

Are there examples of schools withdrawing offers, even after players commit, due ONLY to scholarship limits?

Simpler yet, where can I find these written rules?

[acusefan4ever]

I think all the "rules" are on the ncaa.org/loi site but the LOI is a contract.

A lot of schools offer more then they can honor(especially in football), they can be "withdrawn" at anytime before being signed.

Most schools are probably pretty careful about the amount they offer(football is different because the prep school route and kids not qualifying is so common). I am trying to think of a good example and the only one I can come up with is weak.

ex. A school has one open scholly but has two offers out and both kids give a verbal, chances are that the coach will pick the one they want and tell the other one their offer is being withdrawn, it may not be ethical but its not against the rules. Chances are long before signing day the coach will say "I have two offers out for one spot and if you wait the spot may no longer be open".

Scholarships can be withdrawn for just about any reason. A good example is the cuse offered the Hillard kid, she committed, she got into trouble and they pulled the offer.

As far as pulling a kids scholarship to make room for a recuit.....all scholarships are one year guarantees on the universities side and have to be renewed. They can be pulled for any reason.

[CannonVol]

Athletic scholarships are all on a year to year basis as part of the NCAA regs. Technically, a school could withdraw a scholarship at any time after the one year period of the scholarship.

It is highly unusual for a school to unilaterally withdraw a scholarship as long as a student-athlete is in good standing and hasn't otherwise violated university or team rules. If a player wished to voluntarily relinquish a scholarship for the upcoming year and essentially assume walk-on status there is nothing in the regs that prohibit that.

The practice of offering more scholarships than are actually available isn't prevalent (to my knowledge) except in football. In football offers are made to a number of high-school students who are often marginal for academic qualification. And the football staff is generally hedging their bet by offering 25 scholarships when only 20 are available, expecting that a number of the acceptees won't qualify.

The NCAA regs (Chapter 15 relates to scholarships) can be downloaded free at www.ncaa.org . Go to Legislation and Governance - Rules and Bylaws and just download the Div I manual.

Hope this helps.

Jim

[ladiesfirst]

Thanks, acusefan4ever, and CannonVol. Your responses attest to the caliber of visitors to this site.

And for those who are curious, but uncertain to the actual wording of the rules, this from the ncaa.org website:

15.5.1.9 Offers Exceeding Maximum Allowable Awards. An institution may offer more than the maximum number of permissible awards in a sport (per Bylaws 15.5.2, 15.5.3, 15.5.4 and 15.5.5) in anticipation that not all of the offers will be accepted, but the institution shall not exceed the awards limitation in the sport in question.

And concerning the total number of "counters" on the team roster:

15.5.4.2 Women’s Basketball. There shall be an annual limit of 15 on the total number of counters in women’s basketball at each institution. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/92; Revised: 1/10/92 effective 8/1/93, 1/16/93)

Again, Thanks!

[acusefan4ever]

of course as far as offering too many scholarships go a coach can always have a "I don't think things are working out" with a current player and encourage them to transfer or leave the team to make the magical 15 work.

[scoutnwhoops]

Coaches offer more players than they have spots for more often than you think. Sometimes they tell two or three kids at the same position that they have only one spot and the first player to verbal gets the spot. If they get in on a player above the player they first offered they may rescind or offer to both.

You're not going to get every kid you recruit so you go after more and sometimes they jump at one kid they know they can get while holding out for an upgrade. It happens.