Under the rules as they've existed up until now, college coaches have not been able to INITIATE communication with potential recruits until Sept. 1 of their junior year of HS. BUT, a player could initiate communications, AND, third parties (e.g., HS or travel coaches) could serve as communications conduits. This allowed programs and players to reach non-binding commitment agreements, which as we all know have been growing more and more common at younger and younger ages.
Effective April 26 (tomorrow!), the landscape is changing dramatically.
From now on:
Coaches can start communicating with players on August 1 just before junior year, i.e., one month earlier than before. That's a minor tweak.
But the ban on pre-Aug. 1 communications now applies also to players. Moreover, communications funneled through coaches, parents, etc., are also prohibited prior to Aug. 1 of junior year.
Which means, the NCAA is putting an end to the ultra-early commitment situation, effectively.
Also, while neither "official" nor "unofficial" visits can happen before September 1 of junior year, players no longer face a limit on how many schools they can accept "official" visits from. Players are still limited to one per school, but there's no limit on how many different schools. (There's an exception to the 1-per-school rule if there's a coaching change situation.)