Riser Candidates- RB DJ Foster, Sr, Arizona State

Year            School   Conf Class Pos  G  Att  Yds  Avg   TD  Rec  Yds  Avg   TD Plays  Yds  Avg   TD
*2012    Arizona State Pac-12    FR  RB 13  102  493  4.8    2   38  533 14.0    4   140 1026  7.3    6
2013     Arizona State Pac-12    SO  RB 14   93  501  5.4    6   63  653 10.4    4   156 1154  7.4   10
2014     Arizona State Pac-12    JR  RB 13  194 1081  5.6    9   62  688 11.1    3   256 1769  6.9   12
Career   Arizona State                      389 2075  5.3   17  163 1874 11.5   11   552 3949  7.2   28

    5-11, 205. DJ Foster spent the past few seasons behind Marion Grice, and now that he has gotten his chance to shine, he has stepped up to the plate. Foster took 194 carries last season, and gained 1081 yards, and 9 TD's. He's a threat in the passing game with soft hands too, catching 62 passes for 688 yards, and another 3 TD's.

    Foster can line up all over the formation, and make catches away from his body, something not very often found in RB's. He's agile and extremely quick, very explosive from the line of scrimmage. He's very patient too, and I don't see him doing a lot to bounce around and try to make plays immediately. He drives forward and get's the best that he can with what he has.

    Foster looks like a solidly built running back, and he plays like he's a strong slot receiver. Arizona State lined him up quite often as a receiver, and threw to him. He brings a Percy Harvin type element to Arizona State, and so far, last season, he was underused.

    One of Fosters best traits is his speed. He likes to get balls to the outside and turn on the jets as he has space down the sideline. His running in open space down the middle, however, seems to be one of his biggest weaknesses. He seems hesitant once in open field, giving defenders time to catch up to him.

    I foresee a big season ahead for Foster, possibly a run at PAC-12 Player of the Year, and a good career in the NFL.

Players to watch in 2015

    Every year, new players break out into the wide open arena of college football. Here are a few names of potential stars who could be in the national spotlight in 2015.

    Arizona's Anu Solomon, QB, So.


    Solomon's freshman season was an exciting one, passing for Arizona Wildcat freshman records of 3793 yards, and 28 TD's to only 9 INT's. He placed 3rd in the nation with his 540 pass attempts, and 2nd with his 677 total plays. His legs scored him 2 TD's, and no one will forget his long TD bomb that led Arizona over California in the final seconds. Oh, and leading his team to be the only team who beat Oregon in the regular season? He posted 4 300 yard games, 2 of those going for over 400.

    While Solomon doesn't consistently throw a ball perfectly every play, he still makes plays. The offense he plays in allows him to move out of the pocket and throw on the run. He throws accurately on the run, and seems to be able to make all the throws. Watch Solomon in 2015, he can only get better.



    UCLA's Paul Perkins, RB, Sr.

        Paul is a bog boy. At 5-11, 200 pounds, Perkins is the new face of the UCLA Bruins running game. Running 6 times over 100 yards last season and putting together 1575 yards and 9 TD's, he's a rising star.

    He's a low power runner, with some amazing game speed and quick moves. Perkins is going to be the feature back in UCLA, and he's going to shine in 2015.











    Arizona's Scooby Wright, LB, Jr. 

    Wright was an absolute beast in 2014. Collecting national high totals of 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and then 14 sacks, Scooby won himself the Vince Lombardi Award for his incredible skill and show in the 2014 season. Add 6 Forced Fumbles, another national high, Scooby finished 9th in the Hiesman voting. 9 times over the course of 2014, Wright finished with 10 or more tackles in a game.

     Watching Scooby reminds me of former Boston College award winning Linebacker and now All-Pro Linebacker Luke Kuechly, with his high motor and persistence on the playing field. Not only is he a bone crushing hitter, but he wraps up and finishes a tackle every play. He loves collision. I can't imagine a team finding a way to shut him down.