In writing about Jaylen Brown's recruitment, Gary Parrish notes:

...why would any elite recruit commit early?

I've never understood it.

Granted, if you're a dime-a-dozen prospect, you should absolutely sign early if there's a school offering that you know you want to attend because, if you're a dime-a-dozen prospect, you don't have much leverage, and that school could move in another direction, leaving you with fewer options than you previously had or wanted. That's not ideal. So if you're a dime-a-dozen prospect, by all means, commit early, if you desire..."