ASU in the Pros Series: Patriots RB DJ Foster

DJ Foster was one of the lesser-known members of the New England Patriots team that claimed the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title this past year. However, during his time at Arizona State, he did anything but fly under the radar.

Even before his time at ASU, however, Foster was an Arizona football legend. Foster attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., before signing to play at ASU. He dazzled at the high school level as he rushed for more than 5,000 yards in his career and he holds an Arizona state high school record with 60 total touchdowns his senior year.

He also led Saguaro to the Division III State Championship as a senior earning him “Big Schools Player of the Year” honors from the Arizona Republic as well as the title of “2011 Tribune Football Player of the Year” from the East Valley Tribune.

Time at ASU

Foster played at ASU for 4 years from 2012-2015 where he took snaps both in the backfield at running back and split out wide as a receiver.

Once he arrived on campus in Tempe he showed no signs of slowing down following his success on the high school stage, making an impact as soon as he started playing.

2012: 102 att, 493 yds, 4.8 yds/carry, 2 rush TD, 38 rec, 533 yds, 4 rec TD

2013: 93 att, 501 yds, 5.4 yds/carry, 6 rush TD, 63 rec, 653 yds, 4 rec TD

2014: 194 att, 1081 yds, 5.6 yds/carry, 9 rush TD, 62 rec, 688 yds, 3 rec TD

2015: 55 att, 280 yds, 5.1 yds/carry, 1 rush TD, 59 rec, 584 yards, 3 rec TD

Foster was nothing if not a consistent force in his time with ASU as he never averaged less than 4.8 yards per carry and always had at least 500 receiving yards to go along with his 32 total career touchdowns.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Time in the Pros

Although he was projected to go as high as the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Foster went un-drafted but was quickly signed by the New England Patriots.

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Foster made the 53-man roster in September and saw his first professional action in a week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Foster played in just three games before being released by the Patriots on Nov. 28, 2016. He was quickly re-signed to the practice squad, where he remained for only five days before being promoted back to the active-roster.

Foster didn’t play in any postseason games for the Patriots, and only racked up 24 rushing yards on just seven attempts during the regular season. However, he still earned a Super Bowl ring for his service for the Pats, a feat not many can boast.

Foster is heading into camp this year still fighting for a job on the roster as he looks to show his current club what made him such an invaluable asset at ASU.