The problem is that the prize was once $$ that parents and players accepted has now the prize been lowered to accepting a verbal commitment. The college coaches are ecstatic. You get to put on social media how your star 9th grader is "committed" while the coaches are hysterically laughing that they didn't have to really offer you much. Back in the day, they fought over juniors and seniors and had to put their money where their mouths were. They had a good idea of your grades, a better idea of your growth, and they were jockeying over two grades of students in three or four hotbeds of lacrosse. Now there are many more kids nationally playing lacrosse. The college coaches don't have to travel to your high school games anymore and watch you play varsity. They can go to 3-4 tournaments walk from field to field and pick the best 9th and 10th graders (many of whom are probably a year older than most in their grade anyway- but that's another story,) The whole system stinks and won't be changed until some ACC team has their first verbal commitment from some 6-2 7th grader.