Originally Posted by Anonymous
What is the driving force behind getting verbal commitments from kids who are still 3 years away from playing in college? A lot can happen in 3 years with committed and uncommitted players. I recently went to a few recruiting forums and all the college coaches (D1) stood there and preached to not overplay, enjoy other sports, relax....yet they are the driving force behind all the craziness! Talk about mixed messages coming right from the top.
BOTC came across a terrific article from November 2008 that discusses the fear factor associated with verbal commitments.

Vested in Verbals : Lacrosse Magazine, November 2008

The article discusses that the explosive growth of youth lacrosse at the club and high school levels has not been met with similar growth at the NCAA Division I level. As a result, parents and student-athletes are pushing harder and earlier to be sure to have a spot locked up. The article specifically discusses the Empire State Games from 2008 where rising juniors are being taken.