There could be any number of reasons why players commit and decommit, but one thing is for certain every school benefits from players committing and decommiting. I mean look at Texas, how many players did we mange to flip in the final hours? It's simple, players go where they feel will give them the best opportunity to succeed and where they feel they will be most comfortable.
The definition of succeeding is different based on each player. Some are looking for a great education, something to fall back on if their football careers don't work out. To others, succeeding is making it into the NFL at all costs, including school. To these kids, their education is irrelevant if they can put forth all their efforts and time into perfecting their craft and getting drafted to make money.
Comfort to each player is much like success. Some players want to that family environment in their team, with a coaching staff they can closely relate to, since these are guys they'll be seeing more than their actual families for their foreseeable futures. Some players want to be able to branch off and go away from home, some want to stay close to home. A kid can grow up in a house that is dominated by one fan base, but then decide to go to school clear across the country because he wants to make his own name for himself or because he wants to live on his own away from his parents.
There are so many factors for these kids to take into account that it is nearly impossible to assume they're going to stick to their commitments. These kids are recruited so early in their lives and typically make a hasty commitment when they're initially recruited. These kids mull over so many different factors over the time period that their being recruited that it is impossible to hold these kids accountable for their words, but rather their actions are what's important. Until that letter is signed, commitments mean nothing.
