Reuben Foster Decommits and Flips to Auburn—What Will Alabama Do Now?

Wow, what a whirlwind 24 hours it's been.

First it was the big trifecta of commitments for USC, then all of the recruiting and performance shake outs from The Opening, and now we get a huge kaboom.

Per multiple reports, Reuben Foster, the consensus No. 2 overall prospect in the country, has decommitted from Alabama. However, this is not just any ol' decommitment, as Foster has switched to arch rival Auburn of all places.

Foster tells Scout.com that he is "100 percent committed to Auburn" and feels "Auburn is the best place for me and my family."

What a double whammy this is for Gene Chizik and his staff. In fact, this is a triple whammy.

For one, you get a commitment from probably the most college-ready player in the country who I've called possibly the greatest linebacker prospect to ever come out in the modern recruiting era.

Next, you take that player away from your hated arch rivals in Alabama, and, to top it all off, you also take that player away from another conference rival in Georgia.

Foster is a 6'1", 245-pound specimen of a player that is both a physical marvel and also an elite pure football player.

He shows excellent instincts, first-step quickness to insert himself downhill in run alleys, strength to play big at the point attack and shed and athleticism to make tackles with force and thump.

Foster has great play speed to hawk ball carriers on the flanks, good range and, once he improves as a pass defender, he will be a pretty complete 'backer.

With Auburn needing linebackers in this class, getting Foster to make the Iron Bowl flip-flop is a major ordeal on The Plains. 

Foster now becomes Auburn's 16th commitment and fourth pure linebacker commitment. He joins a class that also features stud DE Carl Lawson, big-time DT Dee Liner, QB Jeremy Johnson, DE Tashawn Bower and LB Trey Johnson.

The writing was on the wall for Foster, as he gave his commitment to Alabama last summer as a junior for Troup County High School in Georgia.

Yet, when his coach was fired, Foster transferred to Auburn High School in Auburn, AL.

Losing Foster is a huge blow for the sexiness of the class, but LB isn't a huge need this year for the Tide. They still have a good haul of talent and are on a top-five pace.

Plus, 'Bama still has its sights set on big time talents such as OT Laremy Tunsil, WR Robert Foster, OLB Matthew Thomas, RB Derrick Henry, DB Vonn Bell, DE Tim Williams, DT Greg Gilmore, WR Marquez North, TE Hunter Henry, DE Demarcus Walker, ATH Kendall Beckwith and TE Josh McNeil.

Alabama and its fan base will be shocked, while Auburn and its fan base will undoubtedly celebrate this day. However, don't count on the recruiting juggernaut in Tuscaloosa to slow down, or should I say stop "Rollin'."

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects & writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS). A syndicated scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.