Tide making in-roads with the nation's top receiver Robert Foster
Published: Thursday, May 24, 2012
By Matt Scalici, al.com
The signing of Julio Jones back in 2008 was a crucial moment for the Alabama football program in its rise to the top of college football. Now Nick Saban and his staff are working to land the signature of the nation's best wide receiver in the hopes that he could have a Julio-like impact on the Tide offense.
Monaca, Pennsylvania star Robert Foster is rated by 247Sports as the top wide receiver prospect for the Class of 2013 and the 6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect has fielded scholarship offers from dozens of programs from coast to coast. As a junior, Foster dominated his competition in Pennsylvania, catching 37 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns while also lining up at safety on defense, where he registered 57 tackles, four interceptions, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
After taking several unofficial visits during the spring, including a trip to Alabama for the A-Day spring game, Foster is beginning to make plans for his official visits in the fall and while he has yet to determine which five schools will receive those visits, Foster's coach tells 247Sports that there is one school guaranteed to receive an official visit.
"Alabama may be his only official one definitely," said Mark Lyons, Foster's head coach at Central Valley (Pennsylvania) High School. "I think we're going to let the summer finish out, and by the end of summer when we get into our official camp, he'll have an idea of where he's going to take those five official visits."
While the appeal of playing close to home is believed to be a factor for Foster, some analysts believe the Crimson Tide may be well-positioned to lure the five-star playmaker away from the Northeast.
"If he leaves the East/Midwest area, Alabama is the school I think has the best shot of pulling him," 247Sports analyst Steve Wiltfong said in regards to his report on Foster. "I think the bells and whistles at Alabama, all the tradition, Nick Saban, his spring game experience, have the Tide near the top of his list."