Inside Look: What Does an Ole Miss Football Scholarship Offer Look Like?
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While the Ole Miss Rebels verbally offer some prospects even when they are in ninth and tenth grade, the NCAA does not allow official offers to go out until Aug. 1 of their senior year. It’s a part of the long process that is FBS-level football recruiting.
While a person may believe it’s easy to come up with the official letter, there’s more to it than some might believe. Each offer congratulates the recruit on being offered, has a specific style unique to Ole Miss, and adheres to NCAA guidelines.
This is the actual document that makes an offer from Lane Kiffin and the Rebels legitimate. As an example, here’s a look at the one sent to Tyler Williams, the wide receiver that will be officially visiting Ole Miss on Sept. 3.
Even with the official offer, it’s still a part of the recruiting process. Prospects like the proverbial “bling” from social media, such as photo shoots on the Ole Miss campus where prospects wear Ole Miss football uniforms. There are also times where recruits get to hang out with Kiffin in the Rolls Royce. The letter above to Williams is another way to establish a link to top prospects.
The Ole Miss powder blue background, red block around white letters that say Ole Miss, and the writing of the actual letter that comes in white that mimics the numbers on the jersey for the Rebels.
Standing next to the literature is a picture of Williams, in the same No. 10 he normally wears for Lakeland (Fla.) High School, but with an Ole Miss jersey instead. There's also a shark on the letter, representing the landshark moniker Ole Miss has been using for several years.
The overall theme is a well thought out process. Every detail is contested versus other ideas. It’s done this way because it’s not only professional to do so when representing the Ole Miss brand, it helps to further connect with a prospect like Williams.
The words are also significant with the bullet points towards the bottom of the document pointing out how the offer from the Rebels is binding when a recruit meets NCAA and SEC requirements. At the end of the day, recruits still must meet academic standards if they want to play FBS football and be a part of the Ole Miss football program.
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