A verbal still keeps the advantage on the schools side. They hope you stop looking around and then they buy some time to see if you daughter actually is the perfect fit at a latter date. There is no way they know their true scholorship position a few years out.
Actually, a verbal commitment places more power into the student-athlete's hands than the institution's hands. Universities do not want to gain a reputation for offering spots which are then pulled - it gives the athletic program a black-eye for future recruiting seasons.
Upon a verbal commitment however, the player is free to still campaign with other programs for a better offer without fear of longer term damage. Now, one can argue the ethics of potentially holding more than one verbal agreement, but there is certainly nothing against that position according to the NCAA recruiting gudelines.
