It is a long time if you already established a good relationship and rapport with college coaches. We are all for no verbals before 11th grade but the unofficial visits and maintaining consistent contact to let the coach and the kid get comfortable with one another before the actual commitment were important. Now there will be rapid fire series of visits in September of 11th grade- the most important academic year for kids without as much potential for learning about the schools. As usual, a few over eager parents who wanted to brag about their kids and let them rush into committing for bragging rights and coaches who could not do the right thing, spoiled it for all the others.