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National Signing Day has become a cultural phenomenon, a day when common sense goes out the window and absurdity takes center stage.
However, there are a handful of schools where that’s not the case. Schools that are expected to win at the highest level, but can’t technically participate in Signing Day activities. They can’t even announce their class publicly.
Welcome to Signing Day at a service academy. The men who deal with it every year admit they had no idea what they were getting into when they signed up.
“I had no clue,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo told FOX Sports. “I came here with the normal recruiting things that you learn. I had been at Hawaii for five years [before arriving as an assistant in 1995].
What is recruiting like at Navy and other service academies? It begins by collecting names from various websites and scouting services. Almost immediately, though, the question turns to academics and whether the player can be admitted to one of the toughest academic schools in America.
“The first check is ‘can this student-athlete become a Division I football player,’” Sean Magee, Navy’s Director of Player Personnel said. “If that’s 1A, 1B is pulling the transcript, looking at test scores, figuring out academically where that individual is.”
That process alone whittles thousands to a select few, and from there comes the most important question: Is the student-athlete actually interested in attending a service academy? As you can imagine, the results are mixed.
“I have a story every week of a guy that we identify that’s absolutely perfect for us,” Magee said. “But if they can’t see it, if they’re not willing to see it, then that’s OK. This place isn’t a perfect fit for everyone and we know that.”
When the candidate expresses interest, the process begins.
From there, the student-athlete has to be admitted to the school, and then – like every Navy student – needs a congressional nomination. Every district has different requirements; for some it’s as simple as writing a first-person essay. For others, it’s a face-to-face interview.
What makes the process unique is every congressional district has to be represented at the Naval Academy over a four-year stretch, which means requirements vary for each player simply based on where they’re from. A prospect from a densely populated area like Los Angeles is going to have a tougher time being admitted than someone from rural Alaska, even if their resumes are identical.
“Our dean always tells us if we could find a really, really talented kid from North Dakota that would make him really happy,” Magee joked.
Next is the physical. At a service academy it isn’t whether you’re physically fit to play football, but also fit to be commissioned as an officer in the military. Anything from an allergy or over-the-counter medication can disqualify you. Magee used the example of Colton Jumper, who was committed to Navy Academy but had a red flag on his physical pop up at the last second. Jumper, instead, enrolled at Tennessee and finished fourth on the team in tackles last season.
There’s more.
Because tuition is free at the Naval Academy (essentially every student is on “full scholarship”), committed football players don’t sign a Letter of Intent or anything that actually “binds” them to the school. So until someone arrives at Annapolis in June, he isn’t technically “committed” to the school. It has also cost Navy a recruit in the past well after Signing Day, when a scholarship unexpectedly opens at another school.
When you add it up, the service academies have the most unique path toward Signing Day. It continues long after Feb. 1 since Navy won’t announce its class publicly until everyone arrives in the spring.
That doesn’t stop Navy from encouraging recruits to hold Signing Day parties. There is a document that they sign – again, it isn’t binding – but one that allows them to celebrate like everyone else.
“Having them be able to take part in a Signing Day is a must,” Magee said. “All their other friends, the people they competed with, they’re doing that.”
As different as Navy is, for one day it is the same.
