BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Two seasons at Alabama netted exactly six catches for Robert Foster. That's not uncommon with a redshirt season followed by a year controlled by three veteran receivers.
But when you're a former No. 1 recruit like Foster, expectations run high. Instant success stories from Julio Jones (2008) and Amari Cooper (2012) helped further that.
Two years after arriving in Tuscaloosa, the Monaca, Penn., product is developing into those five-star projections. With Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones pursuing the NFL, Foster appears to be the best play-making threat among Alabama receivers.
He's coming off a six-catch, 102-yard scrimmage entering the 2 p.m. Saturday A-Day Game in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Working with the first team alongside Chris Black, Foster received optimistic reviews from Nick Saban.
"You know Robert has really come on," Saban said. "I think being a young player Robert is uncertain sometimes exactly what he's supposed to do and how he's supposed to do it. When he knows, he plays fast and he has big-play ability."
Black, a junior, sees a difference in Foster this spring.
"Playing faster," Black said. "He knows the game, he knows the playbook in and out."
Foster's ability to break out like Jones and Cooper was impacted by a late arrival in 2013. His eligibility paperwork didn't arrive until days before practice opened in August. A redshirt season followed, but teammates saw promise.
"Oh yeah man, that guy has speed," former Alabama receiver Kevin Norwood said after the 2013 season. "He's really speedy. He has great hands too. He'll go up and get the ball too."
But there wasn't much playing time in Year 2. All six of his catches came against non-conference opponents and totaled 44 yards.
Before the Sugar Bowl, Foster told AL.com he wasn't looking to transfer after a slow start to his Alabama career.
"I feel like I need to improve more my feet and be more coachable, to tell you the truth," Foster said in New Orleans. "Take coaching to another level basically by listening and taking their advice, basically. Sometimes, I feel like I do my own thing. But at the end, the coaches are always right. So I just need to take the coaching more serious."
He's making progress in that department, but Saban has a few more goals for Foster.
"We certainly need him to develop the confidence and consistency in performance, mature, so that he understands the importance of doing the little things right, so that he can be on the same page with the quarterback," Saban said. "And that's how he can improve his production and performance, and help our team the most. So I'm not satisfied with where he is, but certainly encouraged by the progress that he's made."
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But when you're a former No. 1 recruit like Foster, expectations run high. Instant success stories from Julio Jones (2008) and Amari Cooper (2012) helped further that.
Two years after arriving in Tuscaloosa, the Monaca, Penn., product is developing into those five-star projections. With Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones pursuing the NFL, Foster appears to be the best play-making threat among Alabama receivers.
He's coming off a six-catch, 102-yard scrimmage entering the 2 p.m. Saturday A-Day Game in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Working with the first team alongside Chris Black, Foster received optimistic reviews from Nick Saban.
"You know Robert has really come on," Saban said. "I think being a young player Robert is uncertain sometimes exactly what he's supposed to do and how he's supposed to do it. When he knows, he plays fast and he has big-play ability."
Black, a junior, sees a difference in Foster this spring.
"Playing faster," Black said. "He knows the game, he knows the playbook in and out."
Foster's ability to break out like Jones and Cooper was impacted by a late arrival in 2013. His eligibility paperwork didn't arrive until days before practice opened in August. A redshirt season followed, but teammates saw promise.
"Oh yeah man, that guy has speed," former Alabama receiver Kevin Norwood said after the 2013 season. "He's really speedy. He has great hands too. He'll go up and get the ball too."
But there wasn't much playing time in Year 2. All six of his catches came against non-conference opponents and totaled 44 yards.
Before the Sugar Bowl, Foster told AL.com he wasn't looking to transfer after a slow start to his Alabama career.
"I feel like I need to improve more my feet and be more coachable, to tell you the truth," Foster said in New Orleans. "Take coaching to another level basically by listening and taking their advice, basically. Sometimes, I feel like I do my own thing. But at the end, the coaches are always right. So I just need to take the coaching more serious."
He's making progress in that department, but Saban has a few more goals for Foster.
"We certainly need him to develop the confidence and consistency in performance, mature, so that he understands the importance of doing the little things right, so that he can be on the same page with the quarterback," Saban said. "And that's how he can improve his production and performance, and help our team the most. So I'm not satisfied with where he is, but certainly encouraged by the progress that he's made."
Continue reading...
