Here's how important national letters of intent are in the recruiting process: you can't just sign one whenever you want.

The NCAA has specific time periods in place for inking such important agreements. They vary by sport, and there are a lot of sports. So it's easy for recruits to commit to a school but really have no idea when they're supposed to sign their letter of intent to make it official.

Here is a breakdown of when national letters of intent are signed for athletes wanting to earn a scholarship for the 2009-10 school year, according to the NCAA website:

Basketball (early signing period): Nov. 12-19, 2008

Basketball (regular period): April 15-May 20, 2009

Football (mid-year junior college transfers): Dec. 17, 2008-Jan. 15, 2009

Football (regular period): Feb. 4-April 1, 2009

All Other Sports (early period): Nov. 12-19, 2008

All Other Sports (regular period): April 8-Aug. 1, 2009

The coaches of most sports seemed satisfied with the calendar in place, but there are discussions of implementing an early-signing period for high school football recruits. In recent years, football prospects have committed, decommitted, recommitted, decommitted and committed elsewhere, filling all the time they have to make a decision before February.

One Division I coach told me he uses 25 percent of his recruiting budget "babysitting" recruits, or visiting recruits who have already committed to make sure they don't stray.

Nothing is imminent, though, so the dates in place will be a good forecast of years to come.

Visit Active Recruiting to throw your hat in the recruiting ring.

Through my experience playing in the NFL and being a union

representative for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I saw first-hand what

happens to athletes when their playing days come to an end and they

haven't prepared for their second career. A very small percentage of

athletes make it to the pros. Of those who do, a smaller percentage

play long enough to retire comfortably for the rest of their lives.

In the NFL alone, the average career is only 3.5 years. You don't qualify

to become an unrestricted free agent (where the big contracts are

usually signed) until you have played four years.

There are a lot of sad stories about pro athletes who didn't prepare themselves

enough for life after their sports career is over. Don't let that

happen to you. It is a long shot to play professional sports. However,

going to college, playing the sport you love and getting a great

education will provide you with an incredible experience that will carry

you through the rest of your life.

No matter what sport you play, your coach develops plays that you use to help the team win. Most

teams have a playbook. Being a student-athlete and trying to have a

game plan for college requires its own "playbook." The NCAA has done a

great job trying to take the burden off of athletes and parents by

creating a game plan to follow. The process to get into college can be

overwhelming. However, using the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is a very smart thing to do.

Have you gone to NCAAStudent.org site? It is a really cool interactive site.

It is essentially a playbook with information about being an NCAA

student-athlete.

The site itself was designed to look like a playbook. It is a three-ring binder that "is dedicated to helping you

understand the balance between academics and sports required of every student-athlete for a successful life in school, and out. Here you can learn about the NCAA, download the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, and discover how you can go pro in something other than sports."

When you go to the site, the first words that you read are: There are over

380,000 student-athletes, and just about every one of them will go pro

in something other than sports.

I really enjoy the emphasis that the NCAA has put on "going pro" in something other than sports. The

inside folder pocket has an envelope with pictures that open to the

television commercials they have played.

I certainly was not aware of the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete

when I was in high school and there wasn't an interactive website for

me to review. The site and its design effectively simplify the

information.

This playbook discusses:

• Amateurism-Eligibility Requirements

• Academic-Eligibility Requirements

• Core Course, GPA, Tests, Special Conditions

• NCAA Eligibility Center

• Questions to Ask as You Consider Colleges

• Information for Parents and Guardians

• Details for High School Counselors and Athletic Administrators

• Recruiting Regulations

The media gives a lot of emphasis to professional athletes and thus every

kid wants to grow up to be one. I can tell you personally that although

it is a great experience, it sometimes is not all that it is cracked up

to be.

So check out the site, read it, download the playbook

and follow it. I am confident that if you follow the plays in this

playbook you will be successful.

Who doesn’t love a good t-shirt? I know I do. ESPN recently published some of the t-shirt slogans that didn’t make the cut in the MLB online team shops. My two favorite slogans just so happen to be from the two teams I love to watch play each other the most – the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Check out Rejected T-shirt slogans to view some of these hysterical MLB rejected t-shirt slogans.



Do you refer to the sport as soccer or football? Well, no matter what you call it you will love this video of the top 50 goals.

How extreme is extreme? Well, a recent photo essay by TIME will show you just what it means to push the limits. The North Pole Marathon, which is run entirely across the frozen Arctic Ocean, is just one of the 13 most Extreme Marathons in the world.

Andy Roddick has the fastest serve recorded in pro tennis at 155 mph. Watch this Active video…

Anyone else thinking, “I wish I could serve like that?” These 10 Tips for Faster Serves from Active will help you be more like the legend himself.

I would assume everyone has at least some knowledge of the protests going on regarding the Olympics and Torch Relay, but have you played the video game in which your goal is to "navigate the Olympic torch away from angry protesters." It is an interesting way of handling the situation to say the least, brought to you by ESPN. Play Torch Run and let us know your thoughts on the game and the situation.

Have you found anything interesting recently? Share it!

Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder ended the nation's longest football winning streak—just barely—with a 41-34 overtime victory over Charlotte (North Carolina) Independence. Charlotte Independence won 109 games in a row, a streak that spanned exactly seven years.

During the run, the Patriots, who have been ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press state 4-A poll since the beginning of the 2001 season, became the first team to win seven straight state championships in North Carolina.

For a football program that almost graduated two full cycles of high schoolers who never knew defeat, I can’t imagine it has gone over very well. I have a feeling they’ll be back on track soon and working hard to secure their eighth state championship.

This reminded me of another team that got noticed for ending another impressive streak—but on the other end of the spectrum. Last winter, Caltech’s basketball team beat an NCAA Division III school for the first time in more than a decade, ending a 207-game losing streak by beating Bard College 81-52. The Beavers, hadn't beaten a fellow Division III school since the 1995-96 season.

Check out all the latest high school football news, results and rankings at FootballPower.tv

A Corpus Christi Pee-Wee football coach who charged and knocked down a game referee is blaming the 18-year-old ref for the attack.

Witnesses said the coach, Robert Watson was angry at the ref for ordering him off the field for cursing -- as well as at his 5- and 6-year-old players for not blocking. Watson's team, the Titans, was trailing the 49ers 12-6 with 10 seconds left in the Pee-Wee league's championship game when the incident happened.

Police Captain John Houston said the coach had been warned several times about cursing on the sidelines before his ejection. Houston said the referee was left briefly unconscious by the attack but is otherwise alright.

In the face of increasing amounts of abuse such as this from players, coaches and fans, many officials are leaving the profession. But there are steps you can take to help keep them around.

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Between the glossy brochures and fancy websites, choosing a summer sports camp for your kid has never been more complicated.

Summer sports camps are sophisticated enterprises designed to instruct campers in sport-specific techniques and, in some cases, possibly catch the eye of a university recruiter.

Here are three tips to help parents find the best camp for the young athlete in their family.

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After a tremendous showing at the NFL combine, Whitworth College tight end Michael Allan has transformed himself from little-known Division III athlete into a viable NFL prospect. Active.com spoke with him to get his thoughts on life at a small college and what it's like to read your own player profile on ESPN.

Mel Kiper gave you some love last night on SportsCenter as a high-value pick in the draft. That must have been pretty cool.

Yeah I saw that. My buddy called me from Spokane and told me to turn it on. Not often you hear your name on SportsCenter.

How does a kid who didn't make his high school all-star team turn into a possible first- day NFL draft pick?

(Laughs) I don't know. A lot of it is physical maturation. I was kind of an awkward athlete coming out of high school. Six-four, 190 and running a five-flat (40-yard dash). I grew into my body halfway through college. I always knew how to play the game. Once my body matured I was able to do it cleanly.

Read the rest of the Q & A.