AHSAA Reps Will Meet with 5-Star LB Reuben Foster: Should Auburn Worry?

Recruiting season never sleeps, and that's particularly true in the state of Alabama.

Reuben Foster, the 5-star linebacker from Auburn (Ala.) High School that flipped from Alabama to Auburn in mid-July, is met with investigators from the NCAA on Monday, according to a report by Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (that report has since been disputed)

Update

Bryan Matthews of AuburnUndercover.com disputed the report late Monday afternoon, saying that Foster and his family are meeting with representatives of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), and haven't been contacted by the NCAA.

"

Reuben Foster meeting with AHSAA, not NCAA? (Free/Mobile)auburn.247sports.com/Board/Topic/42… via @247sports

— Bryan Matthews (@BMatt247) August 13, 2012"

Update No. 2

The Opelika-Auburn (Ala.) News is also reporting that it's the AHSAA, not NCAA, that's investigating Foster; and that it's a precaution after Darius Paige's transfer to Foley High School made headlines last week.

*End of Updates*

Foster, who is rated as the nation's No. 2 overall player in the country in the 247Sports.com Composite, transferred from Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga., to Auburn High School for his senior season, which is the subject of the inquiry, according to Foster's mother, Anita Paige (via: AJC).

"

They [the NCAA] are talking with Reuben and me. They want to make sure there was nothing illegal done to get us down here, or anything like that. They want to make sure there wasn’t a college booster involved.

No, there was not a booster involved or anybody from the college involved. There was nothing illegal.

"

Is this something that should concern Auburn fans?

Obviously, it is.

Any time investigators are talking to anyone—especially high-profile recruits—it should be concerning. No program in America is spotless, and it's incredibly naive to think otherwise.

The fact that Foster's mother was matter-of-fact about the meeting suggests that she's not concerned. But on the flip side, she may not be privy to everything that has and does go on during the recruiting process.

This shouldn't come as a shock.

Whether everything is completely clean during the process or not, a high-profile recruit flipping from Alabama to Auburn after transferring across state lines to Auburn High School is going to raise eyebrows.

The news that there are investigators in Auburn comes on the heels of the report from the Memphis Commercial Appeal last week that freshman running back Jovon Robinson's status with the team is in doubt after a guidance counselor at his high school resigned, admitting to falsifying his transcript.

It wasn't just Auburn. Earlier last week, the Pensacola News Journal reported that former Washington High School defensive tackle Darius Paige transferred to Foley (Ala.) High School at the request of an Alabama assistant coach because the school "would take care of him academically," according to Washington High assistant George Schellang.

It's apparently a vicious cycle.

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