Unfortunately, experience suggests that we not take any "verbal" as a real, hard and fast commitment. I look at a verbal as only a statement of preference at a given time. The only real commitment comes when the young man signs his letter.
1-2 verbals a year seem to change their mind and end up signing with someone else. While it's easy to remember the guys like James Walsh (where is he now, by the way) who change their mind, it's easy to forget that 90-95% of those that give a verbal to Ohio end up signing.
You are probably right, it isn't that many. I guess I tend to lump it all together, the commitments, transfers, graduate transfers, etc. In total, there really does seem to be more than there was a few years ago.
I gave Walsh a break because his dad had been transferred to the Boston area during his senior yr at Coffman and the family moved there after he graduated. As I understand it, the decision was difficult because he really did like Ohio. Never heard anything but good things about the young man. I believe he is still enrolled at BC.