<P> In Division II, schools are limited to an amount equal to 36 full scholarships . </P> <P> The football recruiting season typically begins the summer after the previous year's class has signed--though the building of relationships between college coaches and high school players and their coaches may have been going on for months or years before that . Each summer, high school players attend various football camps at nearby college campuses to be evaluated on measures of athleticism, such as the 40 - yard dash, vertical jump, agility shuttle; and the number of repetitions of the bench press that an athlete can perform at a given weight, usually 225 pounds . Recently, the SPARQ rating has become a popular composite metric of a high school football player's athleticism . At this time of year, based on game film and performance at combines, this is typically when players begin to receive most scholarship offers . </P> <P> After receiving an offer, a player may choose to commit . This is a non-binding, oral agreement . Although more coaches have tried in recent years to get players to commit early, the most highly rated players typically commit within a month of National Signing Day, the day all high school players who will graduate that year can sign letters of intent (LI) to play for the college of their choice . Signing Day always falls on the first Wednesday of February . Other players, who may not have as many offers to choose from, more often verbally commit earlier in the process . Players occasionally decide to sign with a different school from which they gave a verbal commitment, which often leads to rancor between the fans and coaching staffs of the two schools . Junior college players, however, can sign scholarships in late - December, once their sophomore seasons have ended . </P> <P> A letter of intent is binding for both the player and school for one academic year as long as the player is eligible to enroll at the college . </P>

When do college football recruits have to sign by