Athletes make a commitment to a college, and get the "scholarship" to go with it.
In the back of my mind, there was always a question. Since these guys (for football anyway) are not adults, anything they sign is worthless in contract terms, what is the binding nature of the agreement?
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Apparently the first wednesday in February is the day.
There are great stories about it.
http://nafoom.yuku.com/topic/38284/hope ... res--faxed
It used to be that schools could send coaches to recruits' homes and sign them in person. In the early 1980s, coaches were lined up at the home of coveted running back Alvin Ross on the morning of signing day—but then-Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer went one step further. "I slept on his couch, and I kept the phone off the hook overnight," says Mr. Switzer, who got the player's signature at 8 a.m. "It was a free-for-all back then."
Well that answers the "of legal age" question. Like any teenage kid wanting to buy a car, he might have to get parents to co-sign if the seller has suspicions about intent, following through, etc.The National Collegiate Athletic Association eventually barred coaches from leaving campus to sign recruits. The National Letter of Intent, which binds a player to a school for a year in exchange for a promise of financial aid, can be delivered by regular mail, express mail, courier service and email, under NCAA rules. But because the letter must be signed by the recruit (and, if under 21, a legal guardian) and since an electronic acknowledgment isn't considered a signature, the fax remains what virtually everyone uses.
A big day for U.S. college sports. Almost like pro sports. And that is a bit whacked, I would say.Schools tell players to fax their letters early on signing day—generally before 9 a.m.—so they can review it and then announce the player's signing that afternoon.
Players generally use the fax machine at their high schools. When the letter is even the slightest bit tardy, "you almost see panic mode set in," says Mr. Beamer. "Everyone makes sure that the fax is plugged in, that there's paper in it."
In 2009, South Carolina agonized over touted receiver Alshon Jeffery's fax, even though it arrived before most people arrive at work.
Mr. Beamer spoke with Mr. Jeffery at 2:15 a.m. on signing day and made sure he was on board, but 7 a.m. came and went with no letter. As 7:30 passed, coach Steve Spurrier kept asking where was the fax. It arrived at 7:45—earlier than normal business hours but late enough to cause the coaches heart palpitations.
