University of North Carolina Athletics
Foster Ready To Emerge
August 16, 2006 | Football
Aug. 16, 2006
By Lauren Brownlow
Most of the famous wide receivers - Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Randy Moss - are known not as much for their incredible skill sets as for their flamboyance and gift for gab. Jesse Holley embodies that wide receiver spirit in a positive way, declaring "I love you guys," as he enters the media room, flashing that 1,000-watt smile as almost every member of the press runs over to get the million-dollar quote.
But Brooks Foster has always kept quiet. He kept quiet when he had a great summer and fall camp in 2005, but was stuck behind experienced players like seniors Derrele Mitchell and Jarwarski Pollock, limiting his contribution to special teams.
"I went into camp with a lot of confidence; a lot of coaches had confidence in me," Foster said. "I was trying to work hard every day, trying to show what I could do. When the season came, I guess they really didn't need me. Other players were making plays, and I was just waiting for my opportunity to come, but it never came."
It's here now. With the departure of seniors Wallace Wright, Jarwarski Pollock, and Derrele Mitchell, Foster is listed at the top of the depth chart at the wide receiver spot opposite Holley, with a handful of underclassmen ready to step in.
But Foster does not necessarily have the advantage of experience over these younger players. Everyone is new to Frank Cignetti's offense. With the exception of Holley, every wide receiver (including Foster) has yet to catch a pass as a Tar Heel.
"He's played a little bit, but his first live bullets really are going to come this year," wide receivers coach Dave Brock said. "But he's got talent, and that's usually the main thing. He just needs to keep studying football, learn the game of football, have a sense of urgency, to play every play the way he's supposed to, and sometimes with a younger player, that's a learned thing."
Foster goes about his business on the football field just as quietly as he does everything else. He has a natural athleticism obvious to all who watch him and as with other natural athletes, he sometimes makes it look too easy.
"I have deceptive speed, like when I run, I'm running very smoothly," Foster said. "Everybody's like, `Are you running hard?' and I'm like, `Yeah, I'm running hard.' It just doesn't look like it, because it's very smooth."
Holley, who said he expects "big things" from Foster, attributes that misperception to Foster's personality. "It's because his demeanor is always laid back," Holley said. "It doesn't matter how hot it is, how cold it is, what part of practice it is, he's always at that even keel the whole way through, that same low-key, calm attitude. At times, it can come off that maybe he's not working as hard, but he's worked real hard to get to the point he's at now."
His achievements in the weight room would back that up. Over the summer, Foster's 375-pound bench press and a 331-pound power clean set new all-time records for a wide receiver at Carolina. Foster attributes being both stronger and in better shape at least in part because he doesn't play basketball anymore.
His former basketball teammate Holley is one of Foster's biggest fans and cheerleaders, though he admits even he can't crack through that easygoing façade.
"You really can't pick up a vibe whether he's frustrated or whether he's extremely happy," Holley said. "He'll give you a laugh every now and again, but like, `ha ha,' right back to straight face, and so you really can't pick up on it."
Though John Bunting raved about Foster's athleticism during last year's camp, this year he is impressed with Foster's increasing knowledge of the game. "Everything from splits, to the design of complementary routes and knowing where he is on the deep ball in relation to the sideline, he learns on a daily basis with repetition," Bunting said. "It's one thing to be book smart and it's another thing to go out and play football."
Bunting has often talked of team leadership, and the senior Holley is often mentioned amongst the players who will make a difference. But Brock sees some potential in the younger Foster, who said he chose Carolina "to get a great education" and does well academically.
"If he's ever going to lead, it'll be by actions. He's not going to be a guy who's going to be a `rah rah' guy or a mouthy guy," Brock said. "If he makes a mistake, he really works hard not to make that same mistake again. He's a consistent person. He's going to go to class; he's going to do what he's supposed to do."
For Foster, the most important thing he can do will be to stay consistent in order to draw some defenders away from Holley. "Jesse's got a lot of attention coming in, and they look for me to make big plays just because he's getting all the attention," Foster said. "On the game field, I'm still a surprise. I'm not a surprise on the practice field anymore, but I am on the game field."
Pausing, he added: "I guess I'm kind of like a secret weapon."
