Reuben Foster, a 5-star inside linebacker, has verbally committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The part to key in on that statement is "verbally committed."

Foster may have said that he made his college choice, but I have a hard time believing that his recruiting process is over just yet. In fact, I'll have a hard time considering him a "lock" until the pen hits paper on national signing day.

Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com reported the news via Twitter, also wondering if the commitment is final:

Why all the speculation so soon after a commitment?

Look at his track record...

He started off as an Alabama commitment, flipped to Auburn, got an Auburn tattoo on his arm and then decommitted from the Tigers.

Since then, Georgia has been a major candidate to eventually land his commitment, but he's also taken an official visit all the way across the country to Washington. Then, out of nowhere, he decided to take an official to San Diego State University.

He's now back with Alabama. Simply put, Foster seems to really like the recruiting process.

Frankly, I don't blame him. If I were an elite 5-star recruit, I too would make the most out of my recruiting process. You're essentially treated like a celebrity on official visits, and in many cases they turn into more of a mini-vacation than anything.

There's also the attention and hype that comes with recruiting, especially for an elite recruit like Foster. Every word he says is examined, tweeted, written about and talked about until he speaks next.

For many, that process can be stressful. For some, though, it can be the experience of a lifetime.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that Foster enjoys having college football fans, coaches and analysts hang on to his every word.

Again, I don't blame him, but that's why I'm hesitant to call this a lock just yet.

He may have verbally committed to Alabama, but the time period from now to when he officially commits is an eternity in college football time.

In fact, in many cases, all a verbal commit serves to do is motivate the other coaches who missed out on the commitment.

There's still time left, and Alabama has to hold on to Foster's commitment.

In sports, it's not over until the clock hits zero. In college football recruiting, it's not over until that national letter of intent is signed.

There's still plenty of time for last-second pushes, buzzer-beaters and Hail Marys, especially with a recruit like Foster—who has been extremely unpredictable.

At this point, I'm determined to not let anything surprise me when it comes to Foster, so don't expect me to be shocked if he ends up officially signing with Auburn or Georgia once Wednesday rolls around.

In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up signing with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

They have a football team, right?

No?

OK, so there's one scenario that would end up surprising me...