Scholarships, Offers & Signing

Verbal offer vs. written offer

Most football "offers" posted online are verbal. A verbal offer isn't a signed agreement, and either side can walk away. Under NCAA Division I rules a school can't give you a written offer of athletics aid (or a settlement benefits agreement) before Nov. 15 of your senior year. Ask the coach exactly what's being offered, for how long, and when it can be put in writing.

Football signing dates, 2026-27

• D1 early signing period: Dec. 2-4, 2026.
• D1 and D2 regular signing period: starts Feb. 3, 2027.
• D1 and D2 two-year college transfers (midyear): from Dec. 2, 2026.
• Since 2024, Division I uses written offers of athletics aid instead of the National Letter of Intent. Once you sign one, other schools can't keep recruiting you.

Preferred walk-ons

A preferred walk-on (PWO) is a guaranteed roster spot without athletic aid, at least at first. With roster limits now in D1, ask whether a PWO spot is guaranteed for your first season and what it takes to earn aid.

Aid by level

• NCAA D1: at schools in the House settlement, football rosters are capped at 105 and schools can fund any or all of those spots. Schools that didn't opt in (many FCS schools) stay under the overall limit of 63 scholarship equivalencies (NCAA settlement Q&A, Feb. 2026). See Roster limits.
• NCAA D2: up to 36.0 scholarship equivalencies per team, often split into partial scholarships.
• NCAA D3: no athletic scholarships. Athletes can get need-based and non-athletic merit aid.
• NAIA: up to 24 full-grant equivalencies per football team (2026-27 NAIA Handbook), which can be split among players.
• JUCO: NJCAA Division I schools can give full athletic scholarships; Division III schools give none. NJCAA bylaws leave the per-sport number to the NJCAA Sports Procedures Chart; recruiting sites quote 85 for football, but we could not open the 2026-27 chart itself. (not confirmed on an official NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA page; confirm with the school) California community colleges (3C2A) give no athletic scholarships: 3C2A Bylaw 2 bars any aid or scholarship not available to all students, and colleges recruit mainly within their own recruiting area.

Apply for all the aid you can

• File the FAFSA each year.
• Some colleges also require the CSS Profile.
• Ask whether academic aid can be combined with athletic aid.

Compare offers apples to apples

• Total cost of attendance, minus all grants and scholarships, equals what your family really pays.
• Is the athletic aid for one year or several, and what conditions apply?
• Is there any NIL or revenue-sharing piece, and who is paying it? See NIL.

Sources (checked Oct 20, 2026)

• NCAA: 2026-27 signing dates (football early period Dec. 2-4, 2026; regular period Feb. 3, 2027, PDF)
• NCAA: DI Cabinet report, Oct. 7-8, 2025 (FBS December dead period; football written offers not before Nov. 15 of senior year, PDF)
• NCAA Eligibility Center: Recruiting (signing dates, four-year transfers)
• College Sports Commission: roster limits (football 105; old scholarship limit 85)
• NCAA: Division I settlement implementation Q&A, Phase Seven set (Feb. 2026, PDF; Q. B8: overall limit of 63 equivalencies for FCS schools that don't opt in)
• NCAA.org: Division II athletics scholarship equivalency limits (football 36.0)
• NCAA: Division III initial-eligibility requirements (no athletics aid)
• NAIA Official & Policy Handbook 2026-27 (football aid limit 24; campus visits and tryouts, PDF)
• NJCAA: Divisional structure and scholarship guidelines
• NJCAA Handbook 2026-27, Bylaws (PDF; Article on athletic scholarships by division; per-sport Letter of Intent limits are set in the Sports Procedures Chart)
• 3C2A 2026-27 Constitution & Bylaws (Bylaw 2, Recruitment: no subsidies, scholarships or aid not available to all students)
• Federal Student Aid: FAFSA
• College Board: CSS Profile
• NCAA.org: Scholarships & financial aid