Saguaro standout D.J. Foster commits to Arizona State
by Doug Haller on Jan. 27, 2012, under Arizona Republic SportsScottsdale Saguaro High School running back D.J. Foster announced Friday he will attend Arizona State, a significant catch for coach Todd Graham’s first recruiting class.
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Foster, a four-star prospect according to recruiting service Rivals, chose the Sun Devils over Pac-12 schools California and USC.
“Go Devils,” Foster, The Arizona Republic‘s Big Schools Player of the Year, said at a news conference at his high school. “I’m ready to work.”
Rivals ranks Foster, who stands 6-feet and 185 pounds, as the fifth-best “athlete” in the country and the nation’s 71st prospect. Scout.com ranks him as the nation’s 12th-best running back. Last season, he scored a state-record 60 touchdowns and was the state’s Big School Player of the Year.
According to many recruiting analysts, Graham, hired to replace Dennis Erickson on Dec. 14, needed to lasso Foster not only to help save the recruiting class, but also because Foster played in ASU’s backyard. Erickson struggled the past couple years at keeping the state’s best players at home.
“My family and friends are the most important thing in my life,” said Foster about staying home. “I like to see them happy. That’s what makes me happy.”
Former Saguaro coach John Sanders, who was fired after this season, attended the press conference for Foster’s announcement.
According to Saguaro statisticians, he ran the ball 234 times for 3,058 yards and 54 touchdowns in 2011. He also caught 13 passes for 250 yards and five touchdowns and for good measure, scored a defensive touchdown. In Saguaro’s first-round playoff game against Peoria Sunrise Mountain, Foster scored 10 touchdowns.
Jose Garcia contributed to this article
