I lay the blame at the feet of the clubs. Bottom line is the clubs subsist off commit lists on their web pages. If all verbals were non public until summer before senior year or when NLIs are signed, you'd see much fewer early verbals. It is not the scarcity of spots. Some Patriot and other conference schools are just getting going on 2017s now. It is the public validation for the clubs and parents/kids more than the coaches pushing an envelope. When Starsia says he loathes early recruiting I believe him. I also believe him when he next says he cannot be a spectator watching his ACC and Big 10 rivals fill their classes before him.
