Clemson defender unretires, returns to Dabo Swinney’s football team
By SDS Staff
Published:
Justin Foster will play for Clemson again after all.
Foster announced he was retiring in February due to issues with asthma and COVID-19. Wednesday, however, he announced he will play for Clemson in 2021.
“For me, the decision came when I went to Duke a couple weeks ago and the doctor was positive on me recovering in the near future,” Foster said via Clemson’s release. “In the next month or two, she thought I’d recover enough to compete at the college level, and she motivated me and said that if I wanted to play again, she’d encourage me to and support me and she would do the best she could to get me back healthy. She believed that I will be healthy and, for me, that was a big stepping stone.”
Foster, a former 4-star recruit in the class of 2017, sat out the 2020 season. He previously recorded 66 career tackles (17.5 for loss), 7.0 sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 756 snaps over 39 career games with 13 starts from 2017-19. His most productive season came in 2019 when he led the defense in TFLs with 10.5.
“It’s not often you get a call from a great player that you think is gone and he says he’s coming back,” Dabo Swinney said in the release. “He’s a great leader with great experience and a really talented football player.”
Clemson opens the season against Georgia on Sep. 4 in Charlotte.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
