Agree with you RJM but verbal commit is nothing more then a verbal commit. The player can, and I have seen this happen locally, de-commit and open recruiting back up. Definitely not an ideal way to go about it, but again, I have seen players find a new home. Regardless, still comes down to parents doing their absolute best to learn about the recruiting process and providing guidance to their child. That is why this this board so incredibly valuable.
In addition, I would always caution parents to watch out for any program/coach who is pressuring a player to sign. IMO, nothing wrong with a coach being honest in stating that any athletic scholarship may be unavailable at a later date but completely different when coach is doing it in an attempt to prevent the player from looking at other options.