Justin Foster moving on from the Clemson football program
Clemson football defensive end Justin Foster will no longer be with the program, Tiger coach Dabo Swinney told the media on Wednesday.
Foster will be moving on from football after missing the 2020 season dealing with COVID-19. Swinney told the media that he tried to talk Foster into staying, but he ultimately decided that he wanted to pursue a career in the ‘working world’ rather than continue with football. He graduated from Clemson in December.
In the three seasons before 2020, Foster accumulated 60 tackles, seven sacks and one forced fumble.
Without him on the roster, Clemson football will look to build depth with talented young pieces at defensive end
There were many Tiger fans who believed Foster stood a chance at earning starter-level snaps this season on his return and there’s no doubt he would’ve played a major role.
That being said, Clemson is relatively deep at defensive end with veterans returning and several guys looking to prove themselves this season.
Sophomore Myles Murphy and seniors K.J. Henry and Xavier Thomas will be the three most likely to start. Murphy was a standout as a true-freshman last season and nothing is stopping him from reaching All-ACC potential (and possibly even more) this fall.
Outside of Murphy, Henry and Thomas, Clemson has Justin Mascoll, Regan Upshaw, Greg Williams and will bring in two talented freshmen in 4-star Cade Denhoff and 4-star Zaire Patterson.
In addition to Foster moving on, offensive line Blake Vinson will no longer play for the Tigers either. He will stay with the program as a student coach.
The Tigers will run through practice this week and through the month of March before finishing up their spring sessions with the annual Orange & White Spring Game on Saturday, Apr. 3.