Will they still be Tigers?

Princeton's recent decision to abandon early admissions has raised many questions, ranging from the socioeconomic and moral ramifications of the sudden change to the move's national effect on college admissions. But one issue that has received less attention is the impact of the change on athletic recruiting.

With the departure of binding Early Decision — a route most recruited athletes took to secure their place in the Princeton freshman class — the recruiting landscape for the University will be significantly altered, and not for the better, interviews with President Tilghman and several head coaches show. Most also agree, however, that the negative impact will not be crippling, even if the change will make the recruitment process on the whole more difficult.

"One of the draws for high school athletes for recruiting was using early admission as a tool, as a way to get kids interested in your school and as an admissions advantage," said David Galehouse, director of the college-recruiting website Varsityedge.com. "So that was a great tool for Ivy coaches, and when you take that away, there are going to be kids that are going to be more wary of being accepted at that school."

"I think the pool of quality athletes that will want to attend a Harvard or Princeton is still be pretty large," Galehouse added. "I think they'll be able to get quality recruits. The kid you might have trouble with is the kid that's wavering between getting accepted by Harvard or Princeton and a Division I-A institution."

Competitive schools from across the country offer student-athletes so-called letters of intent — essentially confirmations of admission to schools — that help build recruiting classes. As a school that does not offer athletic scholarships per Ivy League policy, the closest tool Princeton had to those valuable letters was Early Decision.

Without Early Decision, there are concerns that athletes won't wait until the spring to accept offers from Princeton. Some observers, including Tilghman, believe that students prefer the security of a guaranteed spot, effectively removing all doubt about whether admission and financial aid will be granted.

Coaches and University officials, however, say that Princeton will remain competitive and that the change won't significantly cramp recruitment. Most tend to agree that Princeton will face a slight negative impact but, in general, the exceptional educational and athletic package that Princeton offers will continue to lure talented athletes to Princeton. That's not to say there aren't any apprehensions, however.

"There are two concerns," Tilghman said in an email. "The first is that we lose the precision that comes with ED. By this I mean that we may have to make offers to two quarterbacks instead of to the one who applies in November."

"The other concern," she added, "is ... that talented athletes will be tempted to accept firm ED offers elsewhere, rather than waiting for April to know with certainty whether they will be accepted."

Senior Dent Wilkens, who was recruited to play squash, believes that a decrease in precision will be the primary consequence incurred by the loss of Early Decision.

"There are a lot of kids that are going to say they are more interested in the school than they actually are during the recruiting process, whereas with Early Decision we know they actually are that interested," Wilkens said. "I think it makes it more and more difficult for the coaches to have a good idea of a recruit's commitment to Princeton itself."

Tilghman, however, has pointed out that there is already a contingency plan in place to help assuage these concerns: the use of so-called "likely letters."

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"These letters ... indicate to the student that if they continue to perform academically in their senior year as they have prior to that time, they have a high likelihood of being accepted at Princeton," Tilghman said. "While not a guarantee by any means, it is a good indication of the likely decision in April."

So just how will the eradication of Early Decision affect athletics on a sport-by-sport basis? It depends. Different programs recruit differently; some are forced to recruit much more aggressively than others.

One of the most prestigious programs at Princeton is the men's lacrosse team, led by head coach Bill Tierney. His teams have won numerous national titles and are consistently in the mix during the postseason. But will all this success dissipate with the removal of Early Decision? Tierney certainly doesn't think so.

"Early Decision was a great tool, but in lacrosse, a misconception arises with being fearful of recruits waiting for our 'final decision' in April," Tierney said in an email.

In Tierney's eyes, the package that Princeton has to offer student-athletes — the athletic programs, the education and the vast resources at the University — more than compensates for the lack of a "binding" pact.

"This will not change, as long as the institutional commitment remains as strong as it has in the past, and I have no doubt that it will," Tierney said. "The young men I recruit love Princeton and in most cases would do anything to be a part of this University. Therefore, if they are offered a likely letter in October or November, I do not worry that they will leave for a 'better offer.' There is no better offer in men's lacrosse."

"The schools we recruit against for the top players all ask for junior year commitments," Tierney added. "If a young man and his family understand the value of the Princeton education and the uniqueness of playing lacrosse here, they will accept the fall likely letter."

The Hall-of-Fame lacrosse coach isn't fretting, and neither is football head coach Roger Hughes. Though Hughes would not say that the recent change would be without effect, he is confident that Princeton will be able to put a competitive football team on the field year in and year out.

"I think realistically we don't know what the effect will be, but I have a lot of trust in Shirley Tilghman and I have a lot of trust in [Dean of Admission] Janet Rapeleye to do the things to help us stay competitive," Hughes said. "We'll just have to wait and see how the whole thing shakes out."

"We may not know for three years."