Understanding Yearly Signee & Initial Counter Rules

[ellitor 33,078]

Over the years we have seen many people use the terms signees & initial counters (ICs) synonymously including by nearly every recruiting reporter. The reality is these 2 terms are not the same thing. This post & thread will attempt to clear up the confusion most recruiting fans & reporters have on the terms as well as the yearly numbers. Not quoting a source because there is too much to quote but all info comes from the NCAA Manual which you may have to download to see I was going to also use the AU Compliance Corner webpage which answered many compliance questions but it was apparently removed today.

In a nut shell signees are high school & juco prospects who sign an NLI or Financial Aid Agreement (FAA) intending to to receive financial aid/scholly to play football for the school he signs with. NLIs are binding for both the prospect & school if all requirements are met while FAAs only bind the school to the prospect. The max number of signees a school can have each year is 25. Even though high school & juco prospects are the only prospective student athletes who can sign a NLI or FAA they don't have to sign them to enroll at a school. Per the AU compliance page Prospective student athletes can also sign an admission award letter to be accepted into the school. Those award letters  are not considered part of signing limits.

Initial Counters are not prospective student athletes anymore. They are current students who have received their first aid/scholly from the school they are attending & include high schoolers, jucos, & transfers. The max number of ICs a D1 school is also 25 but it is completely separate from the signings 25 limits.. An IC can now count to the current academic year getting his first aid from the school in the Spring or Summer semesters just as Fall ICs already do. if that school does not have 25 ICs in the current academic year.  Example, a player going on scholly the 1st time in May 2019 can now count in the same IC group as Fall 2018 IC kids. Before last year only January ICs could count with the previous Fall ICs if the school had room.  The IC number matters more than the signees number as it's the number of actual new student athletes on scholly for the 1st time.

Let's look at the 2018 list as an example. We signed 24 prospects with the intent on them becoming initial counter should they qualify. Of those 24, 20 are initial counters right now for 2018. There is a 21 in Grad Transfer OT Jack Drisxcoll. If/when Schwarts, Sipposs, & Miller get their 1st aid/scholly at AU then AU will have 24 ICs for 2018. There is room to have 1 more new scholarship player without him signing a NLI or FAA.

Also any student athlete who has been at the school for at least 2 years does not count against a yearly 25 IC limit if he gets aid/scholly from the school for the 1st time after that 2 year period..

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

Thanks for posting this @ellitor. It helps to understand that mess. 

[toddc 13,194]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Also any student athlete who has been at the school for at least 2 years does not count against a yearly 25 IC limit if he gets aid/scholly from

Does this apply to walk-ons who receive a scholarship? And does that then count to the 25 limit of both IC and 25 limit of signees? Or I’m I confused as usual?lol I see now where your post says not count on IC limits.

[ellitor 33,078]

11 minutes ago, toddc said:

Does this apply to walk-ons who receive a scholarship? And does that then count to the 25 limit of both IC and 25 limit of signees? Or I’m I confused as usual?lol I see now where your post says not count on IC limits.

1. Report quoted in your question is The definition of a walk on. 2. In the part quoted in your post it says they do not count to the IC  limit. Also if he doesn’t sign a financial aid agreement it doesn’t matter on the signee question is irrelevant. If he has been at the school for two years then signs a financial aid agreement then yes he does not count to a yearly 25 signee limit. 3. It looks like you figured it out as I was replying to your questions.