New wrinkle in recruiting?

[Mavric]

This doesn't seem to make much sense to me:

 

On Friday came news that it appears the NCAA is going to allow recruits that are on course to enroll early to sign with the school of their choice Aug. 1. The NLI, a volunteer program that allows colleges the ability to lock prospective student athletes into binding agreements each beginning on the first Wednesday in February of each recruiting cycle, has long been considered unfavorable to the rights of the student athlete.

Yet without the ability to sign a letter of intent on the August date, colleges would now be the ones putting themselves out there, since a financial aid agreement does not bind a prospective student athlete. In essence, this means nothing at all will change in the world of recruiting, as schools already receive non-binding verbal commitments from prospects all the time.

Some programs might not be willing to take such a risk. While a few coaches were in favor of the change, citing the pains of putting countless hours into securing a verbal commitment only to see their coveted recruit switch before signing day, one prominent coordinator made a valid point in his concern for the rule.

247 Article

[Thanks_Tom RR]

So, a high school student starting his senior year, who plans on graduating early, can sign a NLI Aug 1, but has to wait until starting the opening day of classes their senior year (which usually is mid- or late-Aug) to take an official visit? This sounds like the same schools that benefit for being in the regions/states where most D1 talent comes from (The South, TX, CA, and FL) are going to have another advantage now as these students may be able to afford to take an unofficial visit to the local or regional school, but schools like Nebraska where the distance from home and, subsequent, costs keep kids from taking unofficial visits.