Why WR Robert Foster Could Be Alabama's Best Candidate for Breakthrough Player

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When it comes to University of Alabama football players who might be poised for a breakout season, the list is not short.

Between the quarterbacks and running backs alone there’s about seven candidates, plus defensive players challenging for regular roles and starters looking to take the next steps in their careers.

But then there’s wide receiver Robert Foster, who might have the most upside of anyone when it comes to the upcoming season.

“[He's] doing a good job, a really good job,” head coach Nick Saban said after Monday’s practice.

If you’re not a Crimson Tide fan, you might not know much about Foster, or his name might connect with something in the back of your mind and cause an “Oh right, I remember him” reaction.

He’s also only had 16 career catches for 160 yards, despite having been with the program so long that his primary recruiters were former assistant coaches Lance Thompson and Mike Groh.

Foster hails from Monaca, Pennsylvania, about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, where he was an all-everything player for Central Valley High School. That included being named a first-team All-American by USA Today, participating in the Under Armour All-America Game and being designated a 5-star talent by the 247Sports composite rankings—second at wide receiver only to Laquon Treadwell.

The tall and fast prospect (he’s listed as 6’2” and 191 lbs) was recruited by everyone from nearby Pitt and Penn State to Florida for the Class of 2013, but with Amari Cooper having just racked up 1,000 receiving yards as a freshman as Alabama successfully defended its national title, he decided to follow in Joe Namath’s footsteps and head south.

But Foster wasn’t a factor in his first year (he redshirted) and then made just six catches for 44 yards in 2014. They came against Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss and Western Carolina.

This time a year ago, things started to click. He had six receptions for 125 yards and was named co-MVP of Alabama’s A-Day Game (the final scrimmage of spring practices) and won a starting job alongside ArDarius Stewart.

“Robert Foster has made a tremendous amount of improvement,” Saban said at the end of fall training camp. “He’s a very talented guy who just has to be a little more consistent.”

Year	C-Yards	TDs
2013	Redshirted
2014	6-44	0
2015	10-116	2
Total	16-160	2

Yet still things didn’t work out as well as hoped. A couple of injuries including an MCL sprain slowed him, and a shoulder problem ended up requiring surgery. His season was over after 10 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns in three starts.

At the time, Saban called Foster a “very, very good player for us,” while fellow wide receiver Richard Mullaney stated, “Every part of our offense, from the O-line, the running back, tight ends, everyone's gonna have to step up to fill the void Robert's gonna leave.”

Calvin Ridley ended up doing more than anyone, finishing with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns despite being a true freshman, while Stewart was second on the team with 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns.

Add in the emergence of Howard in the postseason, and Foster figures to be part of a very promising passing attack, even though Alabama is having another quarterback competition. With all of the Crimson Tide’s potential targets, opponents will have a very difficult time zeroing in on any one player.

Of course, that assumes Foster completely comes back from the shoulder surgery. During the first couple of spring practices, Alabama had him in a black no-contact jersey to be on the safe side, but so far, so good.

Plus, he now has three years of experience on his side.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press/Associated Press

“He’s playing with a lot more confidence and has got better knowledge of the position,” Saban said. “I think sometimes you can learn a lot when you don’t play.”

The coach went on to use an analogy from his senior year in high school—which was about a two-hour drive from where Foster grew up.

“We won the state championship, and in the state championship game I had a chipped bone in my ankle, and they put a cast on it for six weeks,” he said. “We went right from football to basketball, so I had to sit and watch them practicing and running above the basket. I could never shoot very well. I was always a point guard, handling the ball, running the fast break, did all that, but I couldn’t shoot very well, and I used to sit up in the top of the armory above the basket and see how the big the basket was, looking above instead of below.

“So I developed a lot of confidence in my ability to shoot the ball by watching the ball get shot, seeing how big the basket was, because it always looked pretty small to me when I was down on the court. I became a much better shooter in my time off by sort of absorbing that.”

This isn’t to suggest that Foster needed a change in perspective, but it’s well understood that everyone sort of reaches a level in which the game sort of slows down and one can better anticipate what’s coming.

Foster may have already reached that level, and he’s also switched his jersey number from No. 8 to No. 1. Perhaps it’ll bring him better luck.

“I don’t think his injury is bothering him at all, from what I can see,” Howard said. “He knows the plays, so he’s looking smooth to me.”

That’s exactly the way good receivers are supposed to look.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.