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westexSMU wrote:I remember Chris Foster made some great catches against Arkansas in 1995 when we upset the Hogs at the Cotton Bowl.

Coaches Foster Ryan's trip to SMU
In preparing his post-high school plans, it was either SMU or bust for Plano East alumnus Ryan Foster.

A campus that is about as homely and commonplace for Foster as East, there was no weighing of the options between several different schools or examining the pros and cons of a few universities.

From the onset, the quarterback’s heart was set on being a Mustang and a post-Signing Day conversation with East offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Humble put the wheels in motion.

“They asked me which places I was considering,” Foster said, “My brother played at SMU and that was the only place I wanted to go play at. I’ve always loved the school and the campus is awesome.”

After Humble spoke with SMU officials, Foster was told he had a chance at securing a spot on the team as a walk-on. Crediting the likes of East head coach Johnny Ringo and Humble for the legwork put in while aiding Foster, the signal caller made the trip up U.S. 75 to speak with the SMU coaching staff.

Hammering out any final details, Foster’s dramatic senior campaign with the Panthers came to a fitting end as the quarterback will embark on the SMU campus next fall as a preferred walk-on.

No stranger to the campus as his brother and fellow East alumnus Chris played two seasons as a wide receiver with the Mustangs (2004-05), Foster was given ample time to familiarize himself with the surroundings at SMU.

“When my brother was playing there, I spent a lot of time down near the campus,” Foster said. “I’ve probably been down to that campus about 100 times. I love it there, there are a lot of people who I know that are going there and it just seems like a great place for me to fit in.”

Technically classified as a walk-on, Foster will have a slight leg up in that competition. As a preferred walk-on, Foster’s spot on the team is assured in some form, although a scholarship could be offered at the time.

But while admitting that as a walk-on he’ll need to work his way from the ground up, Foster said he’s undaunted by the task as he’s been down a similar road before.

The quarterback’s rise to the starting spot at East was anything but gift-wrapped as Foster served as a backup to alumnus Brandon Wesley during his junior year. A gauntlet-esque offseason paved the way for Foster to make the leap to starter as a senior, where he helped spur East to a second place finish in District 8-5A. Throwing for 2,040 yards and 16 touchdowns during his final season under the East banner, Foster nabbed first team all-district honors and was named the district’s Offensive Player of the Year.

A prospective business marketing major, Foster has roughly the next six weeks to prepare for his first taste of collegiate football. While a scholarship won’t be on hand out of the gates, Foster said he’s told there are several ways in which that accoutrement can be granted.

And in channeling his teachings from the likes of Ringo and Humble, Foster is game for any hurdle that it’ll take to succeed as a Mustang.

“I just felt like everything started working out [at East] after putting in all the hard work during the offseason,” Foster said. “I’ve just got to realize that I won’t be playing this year, but with the hard work hopefully I will be in a couple years.”

“They asked me which places I was considering,” Foster said, “My brother played at SMU and that was the only place I wanted to go play at. I’ve always loved the school and the campus is awesome.”

expony18 wrote:best quote from the article

“They asked me which places I was considering,” Foster said, “My brother played at SMU and that was the only place I wanted to go play at. I’ve always loved the school and the campus is awesome.”

wish some of the kids getting scholarships felt this way