Clemson football: What Justin Foster returning means for Tigers

The Clemson football program received an added boost earlier this week when it was announced that DE Justin Foster would be returning.

Foster, who had earlier decided to retire from football following a bout with COVID-19, said he received a positive report from his doctors that made him optimistic he could continue playing.

Dabo Swinney told Foster when he had made the decision to give up football that a spot would be open for him if he later changed his mind.

"“I’m really excited,” Swinney said via Tigernet. “I got a call the other day from Justin Foster, and he’s feeling a lot better and back training and has decided that upon further review he really wants to come back and play again. I’m just really, really excited because I know he wasn’t in a good place mentally in January. I tried to talk him out of [moving on] then, but I did tell him, ‘Hey, if something changes, the door is open for you,’ and things have changed. He’s feeling a lot better. Like I said, he’s back training, and I think being away has really rekindled that fire for him.”"

Swinney said that Foster has been back training and that he is in a much better place mentally now than what he was back in January.

What Clemson football will get with Justin Foster back on the roster

Clemson has one of the deepest defensive line units in the nation and, honestly, this may be the deepest group that Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables have ever had.

We love to look back at the talent that the ‘Power Ranger’ group possessed- after all, three starters went in the first-round- but this group may have more quality depth than even that 2018 unit.

Just strictly looking at defensive end, the Tigers will have five defensive ends who have played meaningful snaps in big-time games including Xavier Thomas, Myles Murphy, K.J. Henry, Justin Mascoll and now Justin Foster.

When you combine that group of talent and experience with a veteran in Regan Upshaw and two incoming 4-stars in Cade Denhoff and Zaire Patterson Jr., you get to see the picture of why everyone is saying this group is so deep

The Clemson football defense could legitimately have a rotation of defensive ends that goes past the three-deep in games this season.

Foster isn’t just helping to add to the depth, though. There are many who believe he can compete for the starting position and even if he’s not a starter, he’ll play valuable snaps in the two-deep. In addition to his skill level and ability to set a hard-edge- which he does well- Foster’s experience and leadership are going to be factors that make a major difference on this team.