Alabama Football: Why Top LB Reuben Foster Is as Good as Gone

The nation's top linebacker and No. 2 overall recruit, Reuben Foster, has been verbally committed to the Tide for nearly a year, but his days at the Capstone may already be over before they began. 

According to ESPN, Foster and his middle/high school buddy Tray Matthews (a 4-star safety recruit) made a pact to attend the same college. 

The problem is that Matthews is committed to Georgia and Foster is committed to Bama. 

Both schools are options for both players, however. They have received offers from both UGA and 'Bama. 

Part of the decision will come down to early playing time, and by early playing time I'm talking about second string or better right from the get-go.

Nick Saban provides that for a few special talents but not often. Trey DePriest, a linebacker from the 2011 class, was similarly ranked like Foster and was far from a second-string player last season. 

Another similarly ranked linebacker from the class of 2012, Reggie Ragland, signed with the Tide and it already looks like he won't play a major role for the Tide this season due to the incredible depth the team has. 

UGA's current depth chart is absolutely stacked with upperclassmen, particularly seniors. There will be a huge turnover on the Bulldogs roster and an equally huge opportunity for true freshmen in 2013, the class of all players to be mentioned in this piece. 

Significant early playing time is nearly a guarantee at Georgia in 2013 for any star true freshmen on defense, but at Alabama it will be a grueling competition as usual. 

In the same ESPN article, Matthews said this regarding himself and Foster:

"

We are having fun, but we talked last night and we really know where we want to go. We both decided on a school and we are the only two that know. A couple of people are not going to like the decision, but we have to do what is best for us.

"

This quote came shortly after Foster's visit to Georgia. If you read between the lines, the choice is obvious. 

In this interview, Foster is clearly smitten by UGA. The chronic smile on his face and his obvious adoration of Georgia following his visit speak volumes. 

So if the quote from Matthews is correct and he and Foster made their choice shortly after Foster's visit to Athens, then the answer is painfully clear. 

Georgia will win this recruit.

The quote from Matthews is even more eye-opening for those that read closely: "A couple of people are not going to like the decision, but we have to do what is best for us."

Not too many will get up in arms over the decommitment of a 4-star who is by far from the best at his position. A 5-star who is the consensus best at his position, second overall in the nation and verbally committed to the defending national champions is another matter. 

In the interview, Foster makes several statements that hint at him maintaining his commitment to Alabama through February and how he supposedly convinced Matthews to switch to Alabama at an earlier date, a claim that thus far has no substance. 

The most shocking part of the interview is how Foster admitted to bringing Bo Scarborough to visit Georgia with him. 

Scarborough is already one of the top recruits in the nation for the class of 2014, and he truly looks like the next Trent Richardson. He should be the top running back recruit in his class, and possibly the top overall recruit in the nation.

He is a Tuscaloosa native and already looks like a lock to play at 'Bama, though no verbal commitment has been given. 

So why, then, is a player verbally committed to Alabama bringing Nick Saban's top 2014 target (whom he had just met!) with him on a visit to the University of Georgia?

Here's Scarborough discussing his visit to Georgia with ESPN. 

There is also an X-factor in all of this: 4-star cornerback prospect Shaq Wiggins, who is a good friend of Matthews and Foster. Matthews and Wiggins can be seen in this ESPN interview being quite buddy-buddy. 

Wiggins is also committed to UGA. 

Their plan is to create the "Fab Five," an idea from Wiggins. It is a combination of cornerback Shaq Wiggins, safety Tray Matthews, linebacker Reuben Foster, defensive tackle Montravius Adams and defensive end Naim Mustafaa. The addition of Robert Nkemdiche, the nation's top recruit, is also a goal. 

All of these players are Georgia natives, and the combined quantity of their star ratings is huge. 

The Dawgs are well into the mix with all these players and actually seem to have the upper hand.

The evidence points to Reuben Foster switching his commit to Georgia, and the only thing missing is his verbal commitment. 

For that, it's just a matter of time. Book it.