College coaches are making verbal commitments with no intention of honoring them

[marriard]

I would think this is the truth. I'm sure it's a mix of both but a lot of parents are desperate to get their kids funded.

Also you don't want to be blackballed.

Most scholarships are only one year and partially funded at best - so if you make a lot of noise, and you are not a top-tier talent, you will be quickly labelled as 'more trouble than they are worth' and all of a sudden you don't have anywhere to play at all. You don't want to be the squeaky wheel with your kids college years only a few months away and there is no guarantee that you are going to get any offer. This is how colleges/NCAA get away with this - they have all the leverage.

That is how it normally goes:
- You get told (or find out) that the college is not going to honor their verbal agreement
- You panic.
- You desperately run around trying to get recruited by anyone who showed even vague interest in you before you thought you had committed.
- You can generally find somewhere because there are PLENTY of other players in the same situation in that window before signing - and hey, maybe you can push someone else aside if you are good enough.
- You get an offer and tell everyone that your DD changed her mind and decided to attend "new school"
- No one evens knows that a verbal was withdrawn except a few people who don't want to talk about it

This is how it can go:
- You get told (or find out) that the college is not going to honor their verbal agreement
- You blast the school/coach on social media, online forums, etc
- No one returns your calls and you start getting calls from lesser and lesser teams who see a chance to maybe get a talent they normally wouldn't get to but know you may now be desperate.
- Your DD walks on somewhere local, attends the local CC or just doesn't play any more.

 

[dbronstein]

Here's an interesting take on it: College football recruiting: Why top prospects should decline NLI - College Football - SI.com

 

[Greenmonsters]

YMMV, but D3 is one way to avoid some of this drama.

 

[Strike2]

YMMV, but D3 is one way to avoid some of this drama.

Lots of talented players, and even more desperate parents who spent thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, to fund a softball "career" that won't yield anywhere near the hoped-for ROI. If your kid isn't one of the very best players, the schools know that they have you over a barrel. There are tons of good players, and they can easily find someone else who will accept whatever is offered.

There's another way. Do well enough in HS that academic scholarships flow your way from schools someone actually heard of. No athletic scholarship "verbals" to worry about. If you're good enough to play ball, then walk on, and YOU will have much more leverage.