SEC Recruiting: Top Auburn commitments watching Gene Chizik situation closely

(Video courtsey of Al.com)

It's that time of year: Disgruntled SEC fans and media are debating which coaches should be fired and who should replace them.

Recruits are tracking the situations closely.

Auburn commitments Reuben Foster, the nation's top-rated inside linebacker, and Jeremy Johnson, the Carver-Montgomery High quarterback, said Gene Chizik's firing would affect their decisions.

Foster told ESPN he would be “sad” and “mad” if there's a coaching change and that he'd re-evaluate the program. Johnson said flat-out he would revoke his commitment if Chizik and assistant coach Trooper Taylor were fired.

Foster, who got a big Auburn tattoo on his forearm after switching his commitment from Alabama, is getting increased attention from Georgia. Reportedly, Georgia told him he could wear long sleeves to cover up the tattoo.

“I am hearing a lot from Georgia," Foster told 247Sports. "I am talking about a lot. They were at my game on Friday.”

But Foster said he won't rule out Auburn if Chizik is fired.

“At first I will look around heavily, but it is a no-brainer that I will give them a chance,” he told ESPN. “But if I do and it is not where I am meant to be, then I will take another look.”

Johnson said Ole Miss and LSU would be his top two choices if Chizik goes.

Auburn University president Jay Gogue has said he'll evaluate Chizik and the program after the season. The Tigers are 2-8 heading into Saturday's home game against Alabama A&M.

RB Turman explains pick: AJ Turman, who ran for 1,245 yards and 15 touchdowns at Boone High in Orlando this season, said he picked Georgia over Auburn, Tennessee, Florida and Florida State because “it's just the right feel for me,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"I just like the people that are there," Turman told the paper. "Everybody thought FSU, of course, all my friends are there and everything, but it was just easy for me to pick Georgia. The running style, the coaches, the feel ... it was real easy."

The four-star prospect, who scored 55 TDs in high school, will join a crowded backfield that includes Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.

"I just want to get on the field, rotate with other backs, get some playing time," Turman told the paper.

Bulldogs lose one: Getting Turman was a coup, but another recruit backed out of his commitment to Georgia on Tuesday.

Defensive back Steven Nelson, who had been committed to the Bulldogs since February, now will decide between Oregon State and Texas Tech in December, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Nelson is the nation's No. 2 DB from junior college. He's currently at College of Sequoias in Visalia, Calif.

RB Henry nears record: Alabama commitment Derrick Henry is close to breaking the all-time national four-year high school rushing record, according to the Sentinel.

The Yulee (Fla.) High senior is 102 yards behind Ken Hall's 59-year-old record of 11,232 career rushing yards. Yulee opens the state playoffs Friday.

In last week's 56-6 win over Jasper Hamilton County, Henry exploded for 409 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 21 carries.

MaxPreps rankings: Less than three months until signing day, the SEC has six of the nation's Top 10 recruiting classes.

MaxPreps ranks Alabama No. 2 (behind USC), Florida No. 3, Georgia No. 5, Texas A&M No. 8, LSU No. 9 and Auburn No. 10.

For more up-to-the minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Larry Hartstein and Daniel Lewis, follow @CBSSportsSEC.