NCAA votes to eliminate national letters of intent: Here's what to know

One of the longest standing programs in college sports is coming to an end.

The NCAA Division I Council approved the elimination of the National Letter of Intent program on Wednesday , ending a 60-year reign over collegiate athletics as the binding agreement between student athletes and member schools.

NLI (not to be confused with Name, Image, and Likeness/NIL) served as the formal agreement between a prospective student-athlete to attend a school for one full academic year. It had very little wiggle room until last year, when the Collegiate Commissioner's Association approved changes to the program's policy that allowed athletes to withdraw for their signed NLI for any reason and without penalty.

This change helped pave the way for the new portal landscape we see throughout college athletics, but most notably in football and basketball.

But without a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and a school, what's next for the NCAA?

What is replacing NLI?

According to a report from the Division I Council's September conference, the NLI program's core benefits and rules will transition into NCAA legislation and institutional athletic aid agreements.

While this may seem unclear, there is a prevailing sentiment amongst college coaches that this verbiage sets the stage for contracts between the school and athlete as revenue-sharing becomes the new norm in Division I.

Why eliminate the program?

The NCAA's Division I council said in the report from their September conference that "incorporating the benefits of the NLI program into institutional aid agreements is intended to add clarity and efficiency to the commitment process for all prospective student-athletes, including four-year college prospective student-athletes."

Are National Signing Days affected?

Students still can and will sign some form of a binding agreement. The dates outlined in the NCAA's Legislative Committee report from their September meeting are as follows:

Football: Early signing begins at the Wednesday following the last FBS regular season game at 7 a.m. and through the immediate following Friday. Regular Signing begins at 7 a.m. on the first Wednesday of February.

Basketball: Early signing begins at 7 a.m. on the second Wednesday of November through the following Wednesday, Regular signing begins the Wednesday in April one week after the men's and women's championships have concluded.

All Other Sports: 7 a.m. on the first Wednesday of November.

Does this change Name, Image and Likeness deals?

Likely, but not right away. It's possible that the new format allows schools to include revenue-sharing in their aid agreements should the NCAA vote to approve it. That's likely why the term "financial aid agreement" is so prevalent in the proposed changes.

What else did the council vote to approve?

In an effort to combat the overwhelming amount of football and basketball transfers, the council voted to shorten the transfer window from 45 days to 30 days. There was also a vote to completely eliminate the spring window that did not pass.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: NCAA votes to eliminate national letters of intent: Here's what to know