ASU’s Graham: D.J. Foster has become a team leader
Oct 29, 2012, 8:58 PM | Updated: 10:17 pm
The Arizona State Sun Devils had lofty expectations when they signed prized recruit and local product D.J. Foster out of Saguaro High School.
As the true freshman navigates through his first season under new head coach Todd Graham’s system, it’s safe to say the star of ASU’s recruiting class has more than lived up to the billing.
Graham told reporters in a press conference Monday his first impressions of the explosive running back in high school showed Foster was a special player and talent the Devils just had to sign.
“The dynamics of his ability to run the ball, his ability to catch the ball, he’s not a really big guy, but he is a really good inside runner and he’s a complete back,” Graham said. “That’s what I noticed on film was like ‘this is a guy we’ve got to get.'”
Foster is the Sun Devils leading rusher this season with 371 yards and is second on the team with 454 receiving yards. More impressively, the young back’s make-up and maturity has shown he’s developing tremendous leadership skills.
“The values that our program is about that’s how he lives his life and he’s a guy that’s all in, that’s buying in and I think is becoming a leader as a true freshman, and I think that’s pretty hard to do,” Graham stated.
In ASU’s pivotal Pac-12 showdown with UCLA, Foster rose to the occasion. Despite the painful 45-43 loss, he led the Devils with 61 yards on the ground and was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
The dual threat’s powerful presence and durability have impressed his coach. But his likable persona off the field has gone over big with his teammates.
“The thing about D.J. Foster that I knew he was dynamic, I knew he was fast, I knew he was talented, but the toughness of that kid is something that’s really, really exceeded my expectations and he has that about him that people follow him.
“He doesn’t say a lot, he’s a man of few words, but he’s a guy that’s developing into being a leader. You can see his teammates gravitate to him,” Graham said.
Foster is ASU’s leading all-purpose player at 103.1 yards per game and is also the team’s third-leading scorer (tied with Cameron Marshall) with six touchdowns.
He’s only begun to scratch the surface of what promises to be an illustrious career, and that’s an exciting prospect for the future of the Sun Devils football program.
