Interview: Recruiting Update with Crest Class of 2017 North Carolina LB Justin Foster

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

There is a good and bad about being one of the best players in a given class at a given position, especially on defense. Opposing offensive coordinators start game planning to avoid the defensive monster on the other side of the ball and such is life on the North Carolina high school gridiron for Class of 2017 recruit Justin Foster.

The 6’3”, 220 pound, star recruit had a great season as a sophomore coming up with 57 tackles, 7.0 tackles for a loss, and 2.0 sacks helping the Chargers achieve perfection and a state title with a 16-0 record in 2014. The junior is experiencing the frustration of offenses going the other way or getting double and triple teamed when the ball is heading in his direction. Crest is once again undefeated with a 5-0 record and Foster has made his presence felt on the field with 17 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, and a sack.

Missing out on putting up video game type numbers is not as important to Foster as the team winning. The other positive is Foster’s abilities are already well appreciated by college coaches. The top prospect is pushing 20 scholarship offers with teams like Stanford, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Duke, LSU, Michigan, N.C. State, South Carolina, and Virginia Teach, among others, all extending offers. Foster has already taken unofficial visits to four different schools that have extended offers this fall with Clemson, Tennessee, Florida, and Virginia Tech playing host to one of the top linebackers in the junior class.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Foster before his trip this weekend to Clemson for the Notre Dame game to get an update on his season on the field and find out how things are going on the recruiting trail.

Interview

Justin, you’ve been a busy man on and off the field this season. Off the field, where all have you unofficially visited so far this fall?

“I’ve been to Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Florida. I think that’s all of them for right now.”

You certainly have not been sitting around. That’s a lot of visits.

“Yeah, I’ve been going since the first week of the season.”

You’ve been able to see some great games. Which game did you visit Clemson for and how did the visit go for you?

“I went to Clemson for the Wofford game and I’m going this weekend for the Notre Dame game. I’ve been down to Clemson so much I know my way around and everything. I know everyone there and they know me because I’ve been there so many times. There really is not much for me to do when I get there.

“On my last visit, right before the game I got to go up to the Rock with the coaches. I got to talk to Dabo (Swinney – head coach) right before they ran down the hill, which was really cool.”

That had to be a really cool experience. Had to make you feel like you are part of the team.

“Yes, sir.”

How about your Tennessee visit? Which game did you see in Knoxville?

“I went to Tennessee for the Oklahoma and Western Carolina games.”

What did you like about your trip to Knoxville?

“I like it up there too. It is a nice place and I’m pretty comfortable with all the coaches there. The fans are loud there. When it is game time they have a great atmosphere and the fans are great. It’s pretty nice up there.”

How did the visit to Florida go and what game did you see?

“I went to Florida for the Tennessee game. It was great. It was my first time down there and my first time visiting. I didn’t get to see much because we went through, ate, and then went to the game. I plan to get down there again to see more of the campus, the weight room, and everything.”

Did you get a chance to talk to the coaches?

“I’ve talked to the coaches a little bit about the different positions I could play on defense there. They’re pretty cool. I know Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, North Carolina), one of their defensive ends (senior). He and I are pretty cool because I am best friends with his brother.”

It’s kind of funny that you’ve been to a couple of Tennessee games and then you’re across the field on the Florida side in the swamp against the Volunteers. Did any of the Tennessee coaches look over there wondering why you were with the Gators?

“I don’t know if they saw me but they knew I was going down there.”

I didn’t know if any of the Tennessee coaches gave you a hard time about the Florida visit having fun with you?

“No, they didn’t.”

At least you got to see Tennessee play again. Now with Virginia Tech, how did that trip go for you and what game did you see?

“I went to the Virginia Tech vs. Ohio State game. It was a good game. It was loud and a good atmosphere there. I did not get to talk to the coaches that much but it was pretty good.”

Which schools are pushing you the hardest right now?

“I’d say the schools pushing the hardest would probably be Clemson, Tennessee, and Florida. Those three are pushing the hardest.”

Are there any other schools or newer schools trying to forge that relationship to get into the picture with you?

“I talk to a lot of schools – I don’t know how to put it. Clemson, Tennessee, and Florida inbox me pretty much every day, and more than one coach inboxes me. Then you have the other schools that inbox me once a week. I talk to Clemson, Florida, and Tennessee regularly.”

When the schools contact you, what do you respond to most from the recruiters?

“I like when they send me information about the school and talk to me about my major. I like to ask if they have athletes on the team majoring in what I want to major in and how does that work with the schedule. I know it is too early for me to make my decision but they are helping get a better idea of how everything will work by giving me information. I want to major in chemical engineering, and that is kind of tough. Some coaches do not want to balance their schedule around those types of classes. We talk about how it all works and really talk about how everything goes with the team. They are telling me all the pieces of information I will need once I’m on campus. All of my questions are being answered.”

You’ve been on a lot of unofficial visits so far and have a great game with Notre Dame at Clemson this weekend. Do you have any other official visits set up?

“I’ll probably take a week off after this week because I’ve been gone so much. But I’ll probably go down to Georgia soon. I’ll probably go down to North Carolina (Tarheels) and to Wake Forest.”

We’ve talked a lot about recruiting, how is school going for you?

“Everything is going well with school.”

Have you taken any of your standardized tests yet?

“Not yet. I’m planning on taking them at the end of this school year.”

How is the season playing out for you on the field?

“The season is going well. Our defense is strong like last year. Our offense is getting there. We are getting better every week. We should have a good shot at state if we stay humble and do our jobs.”

Justin, thanks for your time today. Good luck the rest of the season and have fun on your trip to Clemson.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: scout.com; Justin at Florida

Photo credit: scout.com; Justin at Crest.