Will Roquan Smith's Decision to Not Sign a LOI Set New Recruiting Trend?

One of the craziest scenes on national signing day involved 4-star linebacker Roquan Smith, who committed to UCLA on national television but failed to sign his letter of intent after Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich departed Westwood for an NFL job.

Smith has reopened his recruiting process and will decide from his group of four finalists—Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M and UCLA.

However, according to Michael Carvell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Smith will not sign a national letter of intent with his school of choice. Instead, he will simply commit to a school and enroll at that program in the summer.

“He’s not going to sign a letter of intent,” Smith’s high school coach, Larry Harold, told Carvell. “The reason why is because what he went through last week. This just gives us flexibility in case something else unexpectedly happens again.”

Smith’s decision has the potential to change the way top prospects handle their recruitments, but will it become the new trend in recruiting? That remains to be seen. 

However, Smith’s decision is likely to make waves among top prospects in future cycles.

Considering the drama that surrounded recruits such as Smith, Ohio State signee Michael Weber and Florida commit CeCe Jefferson—all of whom saw coaches that recruited them to their school of choice bolt for NFL gigs shortly after signing day—opting not to sign a letter of intent gives recruits more leverage and control over their futures.

Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated theorized that the NLI is the “worst contract in American sports.” He also noted that the more important document that recruits should be concerned with is the financial aid agreement—which allows prospects to earn most of the benefits of having a scholarship without the penalties that come with trying to get out of a dispute after signing a NLI.

Staples wrote:

"

Though most players don’t realize it, they do not have to sign the NLI to receive a scholarship. They need only sign a financial aid agreement at their chosen school. The financial aid paperwork provides (almost) the same guarantee of a scholarship as the NLI, but unlike the NLI, it doesn’t strip the player of the only leverage he’ll have until he graduates from college.

"

As Connor Tapp of 247Sports details, refusing to sign a NLI makes sense for prospects of Smith’s caliber. Colleges are likely to be more lenient with prospects such as Smith, who are being recruited by programs all over the country.

However, for lower-rated prospects, signing it assures a place in the school’s recruiting class.

Carvell estimates that schools will only allow a handful of elite prospects the option of enrolling without signing the NLI.

Regardless of how Smith’s saga plays out, his arrival at his school of choice has set a new precedent that gives top recruits a different way to make their commitment official.

At the very least, recruits now have an option that protects them from getting burned at the last minute by coaches who jump ship right after signing day.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. 

Follow @SanjayKirpalani