Malzahn knew what would happen if he let Trooper go, and he didn't care. He knew that he had to do it to secure the future, and to get shit back on track. He had the nuts to make a tough decision, and I think that it will pay off down the road.
Malzahn is already showing that he is more of a head coach than Chizik imo.
As far as where Foster ends up, I think that it will be UGA. Or I guess, according to him, wherever Taylor goes. Just hard to imagine a guy being that attached to an assistant. In that regard, I don't think that I would want him at Alabama. Really talented kid, but I just don't know about his work ethic. If he is that dedicated to somebody associated to the aloofness that was Chizik's regime, how hard is he going to work? He could be a monster in Johnson's scheme, or anybody's for that matter. But he has his head too far up Trooper's ass to realize it.