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Switching Positions Nothing New To Tuskers\' Foster

August 18, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Florida Tuskers News Release


ORLANDO, FL - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010-- It's not often that a football player changes positions on the offensive side of the ball after high school. Occasionally tackles and guards will get shuffled on the line as the routine wear and tear of a season takes its toll, but converting a quarterback to wide receiver is almost unheard of.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Antwaan Randle El is probably the most famous example of a college quarterback moving to receiver in the pros, but second-year Tuskers wide receiver Jayson Foster not only switched positions for the pros, he switched multiple times in college at Georgia Southern.

"My freshman year I moved around a lot," said Foster. "I got the opportunity to be on punt return and kick return and they gave me a chance to get in a few plays at quarterback when we went up by a lot, so I got to move around a lot and it worked out for me."

During that first season in 2004, GSU coaches moved Foster to wide receiver where he played in all 12 games and started three on his way to being the first player at Georgia Southern to score a touchdown five different ways: rushing, passing, receiving, punt and kick return. Small wonder he was named "Freshman of the Year" by the Southern Conference coaches.

For his sophomore year, Foster moved to the starting quarterback position, but the homework he put in during his first year helped make the switch easier.

"In practice my freshman year I would do quarterback drills then some receiver drills," Foster said. "We had two guys graduate and in the offseason doing quarterback drills, I finally won the starting job."

Foster set more records in 2005 as the only player in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly Division 1-AA) history to score at least one rushing touchdown in 12 games, a feat he downplays. "When you run the option as QB, you get the ball a lot. We had a good team that year; I just seemed to find the end zone a lot."

He finished the season with 1,481 yards rushing, third best for quarterbacks in FCS history, and an average of 123.4 yards per game.

Foster was moved back to receiver for 2006, his junior year, but the accolades kept coming for him as he was named First Team All-Southern Conference wide receiver by the conference coaches and as a return specialist by the media.

He again set a school record as the only player to have at least one rush, reception, punt return, and kick return for 80 yards or more.

"The punt return was probably one I shouldn't have returned, I got lucky with that one," Foster said. "The play I had the longest reception on, I actually got a penalty right before that so they moved us back to give us the 80 yards. I had to make up for the penalty."

In 2007, Foster's senior year, he moved back to quarterback and lead Georgia Southern to a 7-4 record while averaging 167.6 yards rushing per game and amassing 3,047 yards of total offense- for yet another school record. Foster won the 2007 Walter Payton Award, as the nation's top player in FCS and was also named the Southern Conference "Offensive Player of the Year."

Foster moved into the NFL after graduation as an undrafted free agent, spending time with the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and the Baltimore Ravens before finding a home with the Tuskers in 2009.

While he didn't put up the same record-setting numbers he did at Georgia Southern, Foster had a solid year with the Tuskers, catching 21 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns.

"The adjustment was a little difficult," Foster said of moving back to wide receiver. "When you don't know the lingo and you haven't made those receiver steps in two years... It's a different type of running and you've got to get used to all that."

As the second full day of training camp ended, Foster said he was more comfortable with his role as a receiver. "When I first started out, I didn't know the names of the routes, the uniqueness of the routes," Foster said. "You just have to pick up on the lingo when it comes around. Coming back for this second year, I know a lot more terminology so I think I'll do a lot better."

Tuskers Head Coach Jay Gruden also expects an improvement in Foster's production this year. "He's got the ability and the speed obviously," Gruden said. "He was just a little bit raw last year, but he worked through it. We expect huge things from Jayson, both outside and inside the slot."

And what of gadget plays like the pass Randle El threw to Hines Ward (another quarterback-to-receiver convert) in Super Bowl XL- do the Tuskers have anything like that in the works for Foster? Neither Foster nor Gruden ruled it out completely.

"Not yet, but Jay has a lot of plays drawn up," Foster said. "Who knows what he has in his offense?" "He's more of a running quarterback than a passing quarterback," Gruden said. "But you never know."

TUSKERS' WEDNESDAY CAMP NOTES: Announcing his intentions to return to school in order to pursue an advanced degree, former UCF star Rocky Ross announced his retirement from football today..."It came as a little shock, but Rocky came into the office after today's practice and told me he was giving up football," Head Coach Jay Gruden said. 'He certainly worked hard in training camp and I thanked him for those efforts. I know he will be a success in any endeavor he pursues." Because of Ross' decision, the Tuskers placed Ross on waivers...In addition, FB Kevin Harris, who played high school football at Winter Springs and Seminole High School before starring at Wake Forest, also left the team to pursue opportunities outside of football...The heat index easily eclipsed 100 degrees in Orlando on Wednesday but head coach Jay Gruden was pleased with his team's effort, especially the defensive line..."They dictated the pace of play today," Gruden said. "The defense is ahead of the offense right now and a lot of it has to do with the play of the defensive line."...Orlando will practice in pads Thursday and Friday and most likely will engage in their first live scrimmage on Saturday...Cornerback Corey Small from Florida Atlantic continues to impress as he had no fewer than three pass break-ups during the team sessions...Quarterback Brooks Bollinger has shown a flare for throwing accurate deep passes, including several to wide receiver Bennie Brazell, whose speed has been unmatched by anyone in the defensive backfield to this point...Wide receiver Cortez Hankton got the day started off right with a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone on a pass from about 40 yards away... Veteran running backs Dominic Rhodes and Tatum Bell continue to battle for the starting running back position and are also being pushed by NFL veteran Aveion Cason and Maurice Hicks ...Chatting with several on-lookers about the coaches with NFL pedigrees, Head Trainer Hunter Smith relayed that as a student assistant trainer at Florida State in the late 60's and early 70's, he had an opportunity to work with Head Coach Bill Peterson's staff that included Joe Gibbs, Dan Henning and Bill Parcells.



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