MOBILE, Ala. – One of the selling points for the University of South Alabama football coaching staff as it has built the program from scratch over the last nine years has been the ability to offer recruits a chance to forge a path rather than follow one.  The opportunity to set standards instead of meeting them.

One of the individuals who has embraced that challenge is offensive lineman Steven Foster.

"When you come to a program like USA, you want to do something that's never been done before," he explained.  "Those wins against Mississippi State and San Diego State set the foundation.  And that's what you want to do, set a standard of how things are supposed to be done."

As a starter since the beginning of the 2015 season, Foster has been doing exactly that with his actions on and off the field.

"Steven is just a blue-collar guy, he goes about his business," observed first-year offensive line coach Richard Owens.  "He doesn't say a whole lot, but he takes pride in his work which means a lot to coaches.  Obviously he is a guy who has been on the field for a lot of plays here so he is a guy who you can lean on and rely on as a coach.  I know that he knows what's going on and can make all the calls on the field.

"But as far as going about his business on a daily basis I think it is super important for him to do that and take charge of it because the young guys feed off of it too, they learn what it takes to play consistently over the years."

So far this fall, as the Jaguars enter this weekend's Homecoming game against Georgia State, Foster has posted the best grade on the line with an 85 percent mark.  He received an 84 percent grade after helping USA's offense put together three second-half touchdown drives in a 21-20 victory at Mississippi State in the opener, the program's first over a Southeastern Conference opponent.  Then Foster was credited with a team-high-tying five knockdowns — adding four cut blocks as well — as the Jags picked up their first-ever defeat of a nationally-ranked team with a 42-24 win over San Diego State, then No. 19 in the country, at the start of the month.

How has Foster contributed to those original goals set nearly five years ago?

"The biggest thing is that Steven is playing with tremendous effort," Owens said.  "He is assignment sound and gets to the right guy, and that's half the battle — you can put a lot of trust in him.  As a coach it goes a long way when you can trust a player to put them on the field knowing that they are going to go in the right direction and at least be on the right man."

"When he comes off the ball with a flat back and pushes the defensive lineman into the linebackers, that's what Steven does best," added South head coach Joey Jones.  "When he uses his weight to his advantage and gets on people, he does a great job of driving them."


Jones knew when Foster was at Demopolis High School that he was exactly the type of individual the Jaguars were looking for on the offensive line as the program was making the transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.

"Steven had the size we were looking for at that time, we were looking for bigger linemen and here you have a guy who is 6-foot-4, 310 pounds," Jones said.  "He played on a really good high school football team as well, but physically we felt like he was the guy we needed to play guard for us.  It was [former assistant coach] Ron Antoine who was recruiting that area, he came back and told us about Steven.  He had started to get some SEC offers at that time, and some other schools were in on him, but we started the process and I think he just fell in love with South Alabama and our staff.  He committed to us fairly early."

Which might be surprising considering that at first Foster didn't have any familiarity with the school or the program.

"As a kid we used to come through Mobile and go to the beach, but honestly when my high school coach told me South Alabama offered me a scholarship I didn't know where or who South Alabama was," he stated.  "The biggest selling pieces were the coaches and the family atmosphere.  It was also close to home, I wanted my family to be able to come and see me all the time, I wanted to be able to get home to them.  But the coaches and their philosophy in how they approached football was very important to me.

"The more I came down here and visited with the coaches, the more I loved it."

Just the fact that Foster was earning scholarship offers and being recruited was impressive considering his late start in the sport.

"When I first started [in athletics] I was playing baseball when I was five, I was a baseball baby," he recalled.  "I played until I got to middle school, where the coach asked me to come try out.  You want to get a little more physical, the testosterone gets up, you find a way to use that and be tough.

"You find a new venture to go have fun with," he laughed.

It might have been fun for Foster, but it didn't take him long to have success either.  He helped the Tigers to a state 5A title his sophomore year and the region championship the following fall.  By his senior year he earned first-team all-state honors from the Alabama Sports Writers Association and was considered a three-star prospect by both Scout.com and ESPN.com.  Foster was also chosen to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, helping his team to a 31-12 victory.

It wasn't until joining the varsity at DHS, though, that Foster even realized a college scholarship was a possibility.  "We had some good football players at Demopolis High School, we always had college coaches in and out seeing our guys," he said.  "You see those guys getting that attention, so you work hard and play hard; that's when I felt like I could have a chance to go and play in college."

Foster didn't only work hard on the field, it was early on in high school that he discovered the benefits of the weight room.  After all, it was his size on the line that initially caught the attention of Jaguar coaches.

"I was always taller than the other kids.  In high school I knew I was long and lanky, so I took it upon myself to try and work out as much as I possibly could and to eat as much I could," said Foster.  "During my ninth-grade year I went from 225 pounds to 245-250 as a sophomore and then to 275-280 pounds.  It just came along through genetics and me doing my own stuff."


Sometimes for individuals in a certain situation it seems as if time flies by.  That doesn't just describe this season for Foster, but his USA career.

"I've been here for a while, since 2012, and it has been a whirlwind experience," he stated.  "It seems like you blink and it's here, we just started the season a few weeks ago and now we're halfway through it.  I think some of the big wins we've had has helped speed it up, but I think every season goes by pretty quickly."

After sitting out as a redshirt that first fall on campus, Foster has played in every game since the start of the 2013 campaign.  He made the first start of his career against a Mississippi State team that would eventually go on to be ranked No. 1 in the nation as a sophomore, helping South earn its first-ever postseason bowl berth that year as well.

It's safe to say that Foster has achieved multiple goals during the course of his career.

"You wanted to do something great, you wanted to be a part of a team that had never done things before like go to a bowl, beat top programs that were on the schedule," he explained.  "Those were my goals, and individually I wanted to be a better football player and grow.  I think I have made great strides.  As an 18-year old you are wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, but I think that I have developed a lot and done the things I wanted to do to become a better football player."

Is it enough to continue playing the game professionally?  Perhaps, but that is not his concern with just over a month remaining in his final season at the collegiate level.

"Anyone who plays this game has a dream to play at the next level, that's certainly something I'm interested in," said Foster.  "I want to focus on the right now, but later on down the road I hope that's in my future."

If not, Foster has done more than enough during his time in school to prepare.  In addition to holding a part-time job, he was named to the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll each of the last three years.  He graduated from South in December 2015 with an exercise science degree, and is working on an advanced degree this semester.

"I have an exercise science degree and have thought about going into the coaching world or the strength and conditioning world," Foster stated.  "In my off time I have networked, I've done construction for a year, year and a half, while playing football during the offseason so that is something else I have under my belt.  Right now I'm working on a [master's] degree in public administration, I am trying to finish that up and see where it goes.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure," he said of his future plans, "but I have a lot of different paths to go down if football doesn't work out."

Although he once knew very little about South Alabama and Mobile, now Foster hopes to stay in the area.

"Mobile is definitely fast-paced, there is a lot more to do, a lot more to see," he observed.  "There are a lot more work options and a lot more fun things to do, I like this area.  I've told my parents I plan on staying in this area.  I love being here, I love the atmosphere."


Having been raised in Demopolis — with a population of less than 7,500 in the most recent census — Foster has appreciated the opportunity to travel that being a member of the USA football program has offered.  "I want to travel, that's one of the things I want to do," he said.  "Football really opens up new opportunities.  When you're in Demopolis you don't travel much, but being here at USA I've been fortunate enough to go to and visit a lot of different places, that's something I definitely want to continue doing."

To look at Foster on the field, standing 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, is to see an intimidating figure.  Which he can be when he wants to.

"Steven has more of a laid-back personality off the field, he is really a pleasant guy to talk to," explained Jones.  "But when he gets on the field he changes, the way he looks on the field is totally different than it is off the field."

"If you ask some of the guys in the offensive line room I'm probably one of the biggest jokesters in there," said Foster.  "But there is a time for play and a time to be serious, and I definitely think I can cut it on and off."

With just five games remaining in the season and the program's first-ever win in a bowl game still an achievement not yet accomplished, South Alabama coaches know Steven Foster is one of the seniors they can turn to stay focused on the task at hand.  Because he came here to set standards, not follow them.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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