ASU Football: D.J. Foster and Jaxon Hood Named Freshman All-Americans

From the moment he took over the Arizona State football program, Todd Graham has said that one of his most critical priorities was to ensure that the state's top local talent stays home.

Despite his late hire in mid-December, Graham was able to sign two such players in running back D.J. Foster and defensive tackle Jaxon Hood, and from the opening of fall camp, it was clear that both would play a crucial role this season.

Fourteen weeks later, both Foster and Hood finished their first collegiate regular seasons as starters and key contributors. They can now add "Freshman All-American" to that list of descriptors, as Fox Sports NEXT named the pair to their All-American squads.

Foster was named a first-team all-purpose player, and rightfully so. He was a dynamic component to the Sun Devil offense, both on the ground and in the air. Foster has run for 492 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards-per-carry, and added 522 yards and four more scores off of his 36 receptions. With just 31 more yards receiving in the upcoming Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Navy, Foster will set the school's all-time record for receiving yards by a freshman.

On defense, Hood was a second-team selection after a debut season in which he made 11 starts, including the season opener. He finished with 23 tackles, four for loss, and a three sacks, and flashed potential as the next star in ASU's long lineage of defensive line standouts.