Arizona State Football: Taking a Look at New Running Back Recruit D.J. Foster

Todd Graham and the Arizona State Sun Devils finally made a huge splash in their recruiting efforts this offseason by landing 4-star running back recruit D.J. Foster.

The Arizona native made his decision this past week, giving the Sun Devils their first big push to perhaps bringing in a solid recruiting class under Coach Graham.

The team is getting a stellar running back who should be able to take over for Cameron Marshall and Deantre Lewis after this next season.

At Saguaro High School this past season, the standout running back ran for 3,058 yards with 54 touchdowns. The jump to college play will definitely be a challenge, but it looks like the team has a promising replacement waiting in the wings.

He was also impressive during his junior season, running for 1,421 yards with 22 touchdowns. He has proven in the past that he can also be useful in the receiving game, but his dominance has been much more evident in the running game.

According Rivals.com, Foster is ranked as the fifth-best running back in the nation. He is also regarded as the second-best recruit in the state among backs. It looks like the Sun Devils got a real steal here, and hopefully this should help put the team back on the map.

According to a piece by Lisa Naujokaitis of Arizonasports.com:

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Foster was also encouraged by Graham's determination to put ASU back on the map and the ASU coaching staff wants to recruit all the talent in Arizona. Foster wants to be an example to keep kids in the state to start something big at ASU.

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If he can have an impact on other highly touted in-state recruits—whether for 2012 or anytime down the line—that will be a great help in getting the Sun Devils quickly back on the right track.

The Sun Devils still have much room to improve on this season, as they are currently ranked ninth in the Pac-12, per Rivals.com's rankings.

It is unlikely that Graham will be able to land anything significant to propel them into the top-ranked classes among their conference, but he should certainly feel a bit more confident with this pickup.

Graham has much more work to get done by national signing day on February 1st, but his pull in bringing in Foster is definitely a step in the right direction for the program.

One has to wonder, though, if it is perhaps a step too late.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.