National Signing Day, Nov. 12, marks the beginning of an official commitment and celebration period for high school senior athletes and their families. Each sport and program has its own specific date, but on this day, future National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which is the main establishment for college sports, Division 1 (D1) and 2 (D2) student-athletes sign their financial aid agreement (FAA) or their National Letter of Intent (NLI), which both outline the terms of their scholarship and make their commitment legitimate. When these documents are signed, the students cannot be recruited by other schools, officially ending their recruiting process.

Ayla Arnold, senior, is a basketball player who has committed to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for the 2026-2027 season. Arnold’s position is a small forward or guard, and has been playing the sport for eight years. Arnold chose this college for its coaching staff and to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.

“[National Signing Day] is just such a big moment in an athlete’s life because it feels like all the work we have done leads to that moment. It also allows families to celebrate their kids’ accomplishments,” Arnold said. 

Violet Gowdy, senior, is a cross country and track athlete who has committed to Central Washington University for the 2026-2027 season as well. Gowdy has been running for eight years, starting in third grade, running with a group of girls that formed through her school. Gowdy prefers distance, with her favorite events being the 5,000-meter for cross-country and the 1,500-meter for track.

 “It’s a lot of fun to be able to celebrate with everyone who’s supported me and [helped] get me to this place,” Gowdy said. “The amount of work that goes into being, or wanting to be, a college athlete is just so many hours. You really need a support system to be able to do it, and being able to have that moment to just celebrate it and show the world [and] the community, what it is, [is] really cool.”

The college recruiting process is different for every athlete as coaches are looking for something specific to fulfill their team. Collegiate coaches start with an extensive list of prospective athletes, decided by the players’ aspects such as weight, height, academics, position, and certain stats related to their sport. 

“My recruiting process was honestly pretty painless because for cross country, it’s pretty much like you get cut, or you don’t. Either I have the times they want, or I don’t. [It’s] probably just deciding if the college is good for me running-wise, but also academically, because there’s a lot of things [about] being a good teammate and all aspects,” Gowdy said.

College coaches search for athletes who they think would best fit their program and can meet the athletes at games as well as sports camps, furthering their recruitment. 

“I went on an unofficial visit where I got to meet some of the players and coaches, and also got to talk to some teachers at the school. I then had an official visit where I got to meet all of the other kids who had committed,” Arnold said. 

Depending on the size of the college and its programs, they may review hundreds of athletes initially. Normally, the players will begin to contact coaches to show their interest through email. The coaches will go through a process of reviewing highlight videos, evaluations, and going to games to eventually decide on what athletes will fill the positions on their open roster. A coach is the head of the collegiate team, which differs from a recruiter for certain sports, whose sole purpose is to scout potential athletes for the team.

“The hardest part is the uncertainty and being able to go through it not knowing what lies ahead. What stood out to me was seeing that all the athletes before me telling me [the recruiting process] was stressful were actually telling the truth,” Arnold said.

Nov. 12 is the signing date for many D1 and D2 sports except basketball and football. Those sports have their own very specific early and regular signing periods. Basketball’s early signing time frame starts on Nov. 12 and goes until Nov. 19, 2025. The regular signing period for the sport starts on April 15, 2026. For football, the early signing period starts Dec. 3 and ends Dec 5, 2025. The regular singing period starts Feb. 4, 2026. For all of the sports, the ending date for the regular signing period is dependent on the different colleges’ policies.  

National Signing Day is the start of many new experiences for high school student-athletes and marks the transition period they will undertake into college athletics. This day allows the players to feel rewarded for all of their hard work and dedication.

“[National Signing Day is] a lot of fun to just be able to celebrate with everyone who’s supported me, and getting me to this place because the amount of work that goes into being or wanting to be a college athlete is so many hours,” Gowdy said.