Most people will never get a full football scholarship offer from a big-name university. But those masses need not wonder what such letters look like: high school quarterback Tate Forcier has posted his collection of sometimes fawning, sometimes caveat-laden recruiting letters online. Sports Illustrated breaks down the coaches' voices, the letterhead style, and the legalese woven into those letters.
The writing ranges from effusive (Stanford has "the greatest combination of academic and athletic excellence in existence") to high-impact (OSU coach Mike Gundy uses ALL CAPS). But among the excited phrases is a lot of fine print: the schools reserve the right to pull Forcier's scholarship if his health or skills suffer, or if a better candidate comes along. (More athletic recruiting stories.)