Clearly a college coach is not going to take an early commit if the kid can't play. However, like everything in life - knowing the right people certainly doesn't hurt. There is a reason every single commit to UNC is from Maryland. The UNC coach has ties to Baltimore and the Kelly family. Don't kid yourself that politics doesn't play a role.
In the end - all the commits better hit the books and work on their game. A verbal is just that - a verbal. A gentleman's agreement that can be broken by either party for any reason. If a new shiny toy shows up on a coach's door in two years and one of these early commits just isn't that special anymore - guess who loses. Buyer beware...
