North Carolina 2017 4-Star LB Justin Foster Talks NSD 2016 and gives Recruiting Update

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Much to the chagrin of opposing North Carolina high school teams, Crest High School (Shelby) was back at it again in 2015 securing a second consecutive state championship going 16-0 for a second consecutive season. The Chargers were stacked on both sides of the ball with Willie Green under center (3,655 yards, 33 touchdowns), Tre Harbison at running back (2,078 yards, 37 touchdowns), and Class of 2017 wide receiver Tyshun Odom pulling down 72 passes for 1,438 yards with 15 scores.

The defense had monsters on their side of the ball upholding the 32 game winning streak with Aaron Ramseur coming up with 160 stops and Malik Hopper adding 80 of his own. The next in line on the defensive side of the ball to continue carrying the torch is Class of 2017 linebacker Justin Foster.

Foster was highly productive during his junior season coming up with 67 stops, 12 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and two forced fumbles in 11 games played after being held out a couple of games because of a nagging hamstring injury. The sample size of Foster’s playmaking abilities go beyond just one season. During his sophomore season he had 57 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 11 games played catching the immediate attention of college coaches throughout the area.

Everything has grown for Foster, including his size, college recruiting popularity, and expectations placed upon him as the next great Crest Charger. The 6’3”, 225 pound, talent has not shied away from the expectations or hard work that is needed to be put in to become an All-American caliber player. College coaches have responded in kind with 18 offers extended before the end of National Signing Day for the 2016 class. The schools offering are pretty amazing: Clemson, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Stanford, Duke, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee among others.

With less than a year now left on the recruiting clock until his day comes to sign his letter of intent, I sat down with Justin for a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview to get his thoughts on the NSD 2016 and to find out what the offseason will have in store with unofficial visits to his perhaps his potential college of choice.

Interview

Justin, National Signing Day has come and gone yet again. There was a lot happening was there anything that caught your eye?

“A lot caught my eye with the rankings and where the top recruits went. The teams I looked at closest was Clemson, Georgia, and Alabama. There were a lot of coaches who changed around this year. Seeing where everyone was going and how they recruited was interesting. I watched what was going on because around this time next year I’ll be picking my school.”

Knowing that there is less than a year left before you will sign, how does that make you feel?

“It makes me feel a little nervous. This is a big decision and the foundation of your life for the next four years. While I’m kind of nervous, I’m also excited to start a new chapter in my life and go to a new level of the game.”

Have you started giving more thought to how you want your NSD to go down?

“I’ve been jumping around from going down to the end or ending it early. I have not decided. Initially I said I was going to do it at the U.S. Army All-American Game, and as of right now that is still what I plan to do. I plan on cutting down my list at start of the season. After that I will narrow it down to three at the end of the season and go from there.”

I think that it is great you are putting a plan together. Even if it changes, at least you have a plan to work from as a baseline for all the craziness that is to come for you. With the 2016 class, did any of the late commitments or guys signing with any of the teams surprise you?

“No, not really. I watched a lot of the day and a lot of people sign. I’m not close to a lot of recruits. I don’t go to camps so I don’t have that connection with other recruits. I watched Rashan Gary, the No. 1 ranked player in the nation, commit (Michigan). I watched (defensive tackle) Dexter Overton (Greensboro, NC) sign, he went to Clemson. I looked at some of the linebackers to see where they went.”

How many offers do you have right now?

“I have 18 offers.”

Wow. Which schools were the most recent to offer?

“Auburn was my last offer. Nebraska was offer No. 16. South Carolina reoffered me with the whole new coaching staff (Will Muschamp). I’ve been talking to Alabama a lot. Notre dame has been talking to me too. That’s about it right now.”

That’s a lot. I know you took a lot of unofficial visits in the fall. Where all did you go?

“I went down to Clemson a couple of times. I’ve been to Chapel Hill (North Carolina), down to South Carolina once, and Virginia Tech once. I went down to Florida and down to Georgia for one of their games. I went to Clemson the other day for their invite only Junior Day.”

How did Clemson’s Junior Day go?

“It went good. I’ve been there so much, I know the place like the back of my hand. Coach (Dabo) Swinney (head coach) showed us more of who he is. He’s a man of his word. The big thing we talked about when we were there was about Coach Swinney going to Alabama.”

I’ve not heard that much about him going to Alabama.

“Yeah, that was the big question a lot of people were asking about. If Saban retires, is Coach Swinney going to Alabama. That rumor has been going around, but he answered it and put it to rest. He’s staying at Clemson.”

What other visits are you taking this spring?

“This weekend I’m going to Virginia Tech. Next week I’m going to South Carolina and then I’m going to the Carolina vs. Duke game in Chapel Hill. After that I’m going to Georgia on Feb. 20 and I’m going to Alabama on Feb. 27. In March I’m going to Tennessee.”

Wow. You’re going to be a very busy man and very popular too. You’ve mentioned a lot of area teams. Are you interested in any southern, Midwest, or west coast teams?

“Stanford and Oklahoma are showing a lot of interest in me, both schools have offered me. I’ll try to plan a visit to both of those schools. They’re both far away. Stanford is a top academic school, hard to beat that. I like both of those programs. They both have great defenses.”

How is everything going for you in the classroom?

“It’s going good. My grades are up and I’m getting ready to take the SAT.”

When do you take the SAT?

“I think I take it in March. Our school is hosting it. That’ll be the first time I’m taking it.”

Justin, you have a lot of great things going on. I wish you nothing but the best of luck with your trips. Good luck with the SAT as well.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Foster family; Justin at Clemson

Photo credit: Foster family; Justin at Florida