By Matt Swartz
D.J. Foster is staying home.
The highly touted running back out of Scottsdale Saguaro, rated a four-star recruit and the No. 12 running back in the country by Scout.com, announced Friday morning on FOXSportsArizona.com that he will be attending Arizona State, giving new coach Todd Graham his first big recruit since taking over the program six weeks ago.
Foster, who had narrowed his college choices to ASU, Cal and USC, wasted little time making his announcement at Saguaro High, pulling out a Sun Devils hat from underneath the table at his press conference as the gathered crowd broke into applause and cheers.
Foster said he had been ready to commit to ASU early in the process, but after a late-season slide that culminated in the firing of coach Dennis Erickson, Foster decided to "step back" and reconsider his options. In the end, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to stay home and play in front of his family, which he said has become more important than ever following his sister's death three years ago from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Friday was his sister's birthday.
Asked when he came to a final decision, Foster said: "This morning. My dad sent me a picture ... and my dad had an ASU shirt on with my sister next to him, and I knew right away."
The 6-foot, 185-pound Foster set state records by rushing for 508 yards and 10 touchdowns in a playoff win over Sunrise Mountain en route to Saguaro's Division III state title, and he finished the season with 3,058 yards rushing and 60 total touchdowns. He played earlier this month in the Under Armour All-America Game in Tampa, Fla., and held scholarship offers from schools such as Notre Dame, Auburn, Arkansas and most of the Pac-12 before recently narrowing his list to the three finalists.
Foster immediately becomes the jewel of ASU's class, which previously had just one four-star prospect, tackle Evan Goodman, who has said recently that he is wavering in his decision and is considering other schools.
Foster said he hopes his decision will prompt some other in-state recruits -- a large majority of whom have the left the state in the past few years -- to join him at Arizona State and try to build some success.
"I hope so," Foster said of his possible influence on other recruits. "I talked to a lot of them and I feel like if I stay home, maybe some other guys will stay home, too ... hopefully put ASU on the map a little."
Seated next to Foster at Friday's press conference was former coach John Sanders, who was fired by Saguaro at the end of the season but interviewed for a position at ASU and is expected to join Graham's staff shortly, according to Scout.con. Sanders let out a "woo" when Foster made his announcement and congratulated him on the decision.
"It means a lot to me that so many people wanted me to stay home," Foster said before ending his announcement with a message to ASU fans.
"Go Devils. I'm ready to work. Let's go get a Rose Bowl, championships."
A replay of Foster's announcement can be viewed here.
