<p>I looked up the young man that I know who has made a verbal commitment to a top school. Yep, it’s there on the web sites. He’s a rising senior. Same school that had a commitment from a local kid some years ago, who did not get accepted by admissions. </p>
<p>The improvement in this system is that now you can actually see who is committed where so you know where your athlete stands. That was not the case 8 years ago. You had to rely on the grape vine. </p>
<p>I still suggest a safety school for any of these kids. Anything can happen between now and then, and there is no obligation on part of the school to accept you. A kid can lose interest in a sport, not make certain cut offs in test scores/grades, get into trouble, get injured, get sick. The coach can be fired or change jobs, the sport can be cut, the athletic budget cut, scholarships can disappear.</p>