Should Notre Dame Fear 4-Star RB Tarean Folston Will Flip to SEC Team?

Notre Dame 4-star running back commitment Tarean Folston does not seem to be 100 percent sold on the Fighting Irish just yet.

Considering the proximity of this news to national signing day (Feb. 6), this is not good news for Brian Kelly and his 2013 class.

Cory Long of ESPN.com is reporting that a recent visit to Auburn is really making Folston think about his commitment:

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ESPN 150 athlete Tarean Folston (Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa) will make his decision next Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET in a school signing day ceremony. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior is still committed to Notre Dame, but things have become complicated. 

Folston, who took an official visit to Auburn last weekend, is struggling with his decision, according to head coach John Wilkinson. 

“He’s definitely going through everything in his mind,” Wilkinson said. “The Auburn visit went well and they gave him a lot to think about. 

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The Fighting Irish have been stellar on the recruiting trail this cycle, but there's no doubt that Auburn is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence on the recruiting trail now that new head coach Gus Malzahn has settled in and put together his staff.

Notre Dame should consider Auburn a serious threat to flip Folston, and the fact that he's announcing on signing day has to be unsettling for the Fighting Irish.

That said—there's nothing to fear for Notre Dame.

If Folston does indeed flip, the Fighting Irish will still be just fine.

He's a very talented recruit, but the depth chart would still look good from a running back perspective. Remember, Notre Dame was able to land 5-star running back Greg Bryant, who has superstar potential, and the current roster still boasts a few very capable backs.

George Atkinson, William Mahone, Cam McDaniel and Amir Carlisle are all good options in the backfield, and Bryant is going to earn more than a few carries for himself as well.

Losing a talented recruit on national signing day is never good, but the impact of Folston flipping to Auburn wouldn't be that devastating for Notre Dame.

Kelly's squad still boasts a plethora of good backs, and Bryant will eventually rise to the top of that list. In reality, if Folston decides to stay with Notre Dame, he projects to be a good No. 2 behind Bryant when all is said and done anyhow.

Second-string running backs are replaceable through recruiting, even very good ones.

Notre Dame should be concerned about the potential of losing Folston because he is a talented running back, but there's certainly nothing to fear in the long run.