Ever Wonder What Scholarship Offer Letter Looks Like?

We talked about this a bit in the comments of the Emmanuel Rugamba commitment post, but in case you didn't see that, here's a broader look at what scholarship offer letters look like -- at Iowa and elsewhere.  August 1 marks the date that schools can officially submit scholarship offers to interested players. Thanks to the spread of social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, it's easier than ever before to break down the walls between players (and recruits) and fans.  In this case, that gives us another peek behind the curtain in the recruiting game.

Iowa has a few different scholarship offer letters that they send out.  One is intended for players still considering their options:

(via KJ Sails)

The other is intended for players who have already made a verbal commitment to Iowa:

(via Barrington Wade)

The first few paragraphs aren't very different, but things change a bit after that.  Wade's letter includes a bullet point directing him not to visit another institution as a requirement for maintaining his scholarship offer.  It also states that he "should contact any other schools that have been recruiting you notify them or your decision to become a HAWKEYE." (emphasis in original)  We've known for a while about Iowa's rule regarding prospects who give a verbal commitment to Iowa being instructed not to visit other schools -- this just puts it in writing.  (We also know that it's not an ironclad rule -- there have been a few (verbally) committed recruits over the last few years who have taken visits to other schools and still kept their scholarship offers, although it's not exactly common.)

But how does Iowa's letter compare to the letters being sent out by other schools?

Florida keeps it simple (but forgets how to spell alum Cris Collinsworth's name):

(via Sam Bruce)

Miami, on the other hand, goes for visual overload and an offer letter that looks like it was designed by the same people who make ransom notes:

(via Sam Bruce)

Oregon's offer letter looks like it was crafted by the TRON: LEGACY design crew, which somehow feels appropriate:

(via Hunter Kampmoyer)

Texas went the extra mile in photoshopping recruits' faces and bodies into Texas jerseys (but apparently neglected to run the text of the letter through spellcheck):

(via Tope Imade)

And Maryland has the most boring and restrained offer letter of the bunch... wait, what?

(via Brian Plummer)

(h/t to Andy Staples)