The one thing not stated in that article--$. Most of the D-1 schools are not fully funded and even those that are only are allowed 12.5 scholarships per year. So, while I agree early verbal commits aren't the best thing for the entire population, for those that get good offers, it is better to get the potential money than wait around and hope you get noticed again...
For the kids it can be great! God Bless them! Take the money and run! Just be mind full that a lot can change in 4 years! Make sure you pick a school that you want to be at even if you never get in the starting line up. The other problem is that scholarships are year to year and while most schools now honor those throughout the 4 years, the frequency of them adjusting them down will become more prevalent the earlier the commits get. With only 12.5 scholarships you had better guess right and the younger the player is that is recruited the more chance there will be that they are wrong!
