Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2020 31 14-year-old the news that he was al- ready a commodity. "I didn't know how the process went," Foskey said. "I was like, 'What is an offer? What does this mean?'" It became clearer when more rolled in as Foskey became the starting tight end as a sophomore. Most of those offers were as a tight end. His frame, athleticism and physicality he showed as a blocker in De La Salle's triple-option offense were projectable to college football. He ran track ear- lier in high school and was a sprinter. On the side, though, Alumbaugh worked him in on defense. The same power, explosiveness and length that made him a high-major tight end prospect could translate to defensive end, he thought. "I was watching him pass rush, and he was doing a long arm, just a stab with his inside arm," Alum- baugh said. "It looks like those offen- sive tackles were four feet away from him because his arms are so long. He can run by those guys." Foskey became a two-way starter as a junior, but a preference grew over his final two years. Defensive end just felt more … free. He liked the feeling of blowing up a play, beat- ing a lineman and sacking the quar- terback more than catching passes and scoring. "While I was playing [defense], I wasn't really thinking," Foskey said. "I just did moves and did stuff. At tight end, I was thinking who to block, keep driving my feet. At de- fensive end, it was like the shackles were loose." STARTING FROM SCRATCH Foskey came to Notre Dame know- ing he would likely have a minimal role at the start, just as he did as a high school freshman. He spent the year on the junior varsity team until Alumbaugh called him up to var- sity for the playoffs to back up future UCLA tight end and New England Patriots rookie Devin Asiasi, who be- came a friendly resource. In a similar way, Notre Dame's starting edge duo of Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem were help- ful mentors, and so were backups (and presumed 2020 starters) Dae- lin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji. Foskey saw nearly all his work at the vyper spot, which meant growing comfort- able with stand-up pass rushing. The explosiveness and length translate, but the adjustment is learning how to stay low when starting higher. Whether a given week involved scout team duty or time on defense in anticipation of playing, Foskey strived to earn the coaching staff's trust with his focus and dedication. The faster he did that, the sooner he would find his way on the field more often. He gobbled up special teams assignments. "My mentality was keep going, full effort because one day I'll be up there," Foskey said. "Somebody's al- ways watching." Notre Dame made his fourth game the regular-season finale at Stanford rather than the bowl game. He had to leave some kind of impression that would give him a boost into the off- season. In the second quarter, with Notre Dame trailing 17-7, he earned the chance on punt coverage. "[Special teams] coach [Brian] Po- lian just let me free, just go straight through this guy and block the punt," Foskey said. "That gave me a lot of confidence." It was the surge that broke the dam, propelling Notre Dame to 31 unan- swered points and a 45-24 win. And it earned him some attention, too. "It was definitely a game-changer," Ogundeji said afterward. Added Kelly: "He's so long and we felt like we could get one with him. He has really good hands, hand placement is good, he can leverage well and bends well. "Going to be a really fine football player, but just not strong enough yet." FINDING A WAY Foskey's hope, of course, was to ride the momentum from his last game into spring practice. COVID-19 had other ideas. The pandemic al- lowed Notre Dame one spring prac- tice and forced players to go home. Everyone lost some opportunity. For Foskey, it was a chance at more de- velopment and raising his ceiling for the season. Even now, in a spot where a logical focus is maintaining strength rather than building it, the time off hasn't lowered his sights to where he will accept a rotational role as his best- case 2020 outlook. His offseason goals weren't quantifiable missions written on an itemized list. There was one overarching mission: put himself in position to play as much as possible. That hasn't really changed, though the route there is now entirely differ- ent and a bit unknown. "This year it's fighting for a spot, what everyone's trying to do," Fos- key said. "No one spot is locked in." The disappearance of practice and transition to quarantine also meant he needed to find a way to main- tain the strength he added to his 6-5, 205-pound frame in two months of winter workouts with Matt Balis. He began by using De La Salle's weight room, until it closed. Notre Dame sent every player three resistance bands so they would have something to use for strength training. Outside of the bands, the only equipment in Foskey's parents' house in Antioch, Calif., was a single 40-pound dumbbell. Notre Dame sent running workouts to players, which Foskey does at a park. Oc- casionally, he goes to a hill for extra running work. These are the tools with which he can work. "In working out, it's just trying to get everything down and be a perfec- tionist," Foskey said. Foskey chose Notre Dame because of its similarities to De La Salle, from the Catholic school aspect, to the academic intensity, to the demand- ing football program. He wanted the challenge because it was enjoyable the first time. Now it's about his approach. Just as Alumbaugh dealt with an egoless freshman who already held a col- lege offer by allowing him to bide his time on JV and get whupped by workouts at first, Foskey's nature is not to slide into whatever increased role he takes feeding off hype, praise or entitlement. "My attitude isn't to let it go," Foskey said, "when I'm relaxed or comfortable." Instead, the equalizer switch flips. ✦ "I'm low-key about everything. But when it comes to football, I'm all out." Foskey