Marshall’s Ian Foster (0) returns a kickoff during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Huntington.
Marshall’s Ian Foster (0) returns a kickoff during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON — After Marshall’s Jayden Harrison was tabbed as an All-American for his production as a kick returner in 2023, the Thundering Herd had big shoes to fill when he transferred to Notre Dame.
Redshirt freshman Ian Foster is doing his best to replace Harrison, which resulted in leading the FBS in average yards per return (33.4) during the 2024 regular season.
That performance, Foster said, hushed a lot of doubters back home.
“It’s meant a lot. Last year, there was a lot of doubt back at home,†Foster said. “I was hearing a lot of noise of, ‘Oh, he’s not going to be this in college. He’s not going to be that at college. He can’t do this in college,’ and I’m just proving a lot of people wrong right now and I’ve proved myself right.â€
He’s his own worst critic, after all. So it was up to Foster to prove himself right.
“When I’m back there, I just key the ball and just focus on making this play,†Foster said. “Do whatever I need to do to, like, not go down by one man, get my offense to a good position where they can go score and call plays comfortably.â€
Foster has eclipsed the 100-yard return mark in each of the past three games for the Thundering Herd, a spark that came at just the right time. Those returns set up a handful of scoring drives against Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion and James Madison.
Foster’s five returns of 40-plus yards and three of more than 50 yards are both figures that lead FBS return men. Two of his longest returns have come in the last three weeks, and he returned one kick for 51 yards in the season opener against Stony Brook.
Opposing teams are frequently making the decision to kick away from Foster, usually resulting in a pooch kick fielded by one of the blockers in the middle of the field.
“If it hits right, I want to go get it regardless of wherever the kick it is,†Foster said. “So when they kick it to Toby [Payne], it’s like, ‘Ah, man, that’s an opportunity I missed,’ but at the same time it’s like, ‘Wow, they are scared of me.’â€
But Foster isn’t just a weapon on special teams, much like Harrison last season, who led the Herd in receiving yards in addition to excelling on kickoff duty. Foster has registered 46 tackles and broken up four passes this season.
Playing well in both roles, he said, requires extra focus during the week.
“I’m trying to hydrate the best I can and in practice [I’m] going full speed at all the reps, not really giving no bad reps or jogging,†Foster said. “That’s gonna catch up with me in the game, so I try to go full-speed and try to get my body as game ready as possible throughout the week.â€
Foster watched it all from the sidelines a year ago, from Marshall’s 4-0 start to ending the year 6-7 with a loss in the Frisco Bowl. After that, he acknowledged he didn’t know what this year would hold.
Now the Herd sits at 9-3 and on Saturday night will play for the Sun Belt Conference championship, and Foster is a significant reason why.
“I mean, it would mean everything,†Foster said of what a win would mean to him. “I really ain’t expect us to be in this position for real, like last year, everything that went on, I just wasn’t really focusing on championship. I just bought into what the coaches were preaching, and everything is working out how we wanted it to work out.â€
Luke Creasy is a sports reporter for HD Media. He can be reached by phone at 304-526-2800.
