decommit

Decommit is a term used in two main contexts: computing memory management and college athletics recruiting.

In computing, to decommit means to release memory that was previously committed by a process. In virtual memory systems such as Windows, memory can be allocated as committed, meaning physical storage is assigned to the pages. Decommitting releases those physical pages and reduces the process’s commit charge, while the region generally remains within the process’s address space so the pages can be re-committed later if needed. Accessing a decommitted page typically triggers a page fault, after which the memory must be re-allocated and possibly reinitialized. The decommit operation is typically performed via a system API call such as VirtualFree with MEM_DECOMMIT. This concept contrasts with committing memory, which increases the process’s physical backing for a region.

In college athletics recruiting, to decommit means that a student-athlete withdraws a previously announced commitment to attend a specific university and chooses to enroll elsewhere. Decommitments can occur for a variety of reasons, including coaching staff changes, the emergence of stronger offers, academic concerns, or a reassessment of fit. They have become a notable aspect of recruiting coverage, affecting how programs plan scholarships and roster depth. Athletes may publicly announce a decommitment and then explore other programs before making a new commitment.

See also: memory management, memory commitment, VirtualFree, VirtualAlloc, college recruiting.