Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey Focused on 2022
Notre Dame didn’t sign anyone on Wednesday, but the Fighting Irish got a six-star player in January when defensive end Isaiah Foskey announced he'd return for his senior year.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder recorded 52 tackles, 11 sacks and forced six fumbles in 2021 and Foskey is motivated to do more in 2022.
"The biggest focus is being an all-around defensive player," Foskey said of his goals over the next year. "Everyone sees that I can get to the quarterback, but I want to really emphasize I can stop the run, hold the edge, make plays and make a lot more TFLs and, of course, make more sacks than I did this year.
"Another reason I came back was I got close to the sack record of 13.5. I got 11 this year."
Personal goals aren't the only reason the California native is back in South Bend. Foskey believes the Irish are close to winning a title.
"The main thing was I believe in Coach Freeman and the whole team," Foskey stated. "We can actually win a National Championship. I believe we can do that."
The Fiesta Bowl also is a motivating factor for Foskey as he didn't want to end his collegiate career in that fashion.
"Leaving that game, I felt I had to come back," Foskey said. "I couldn't leave my Notre Dame experience on a bad note. I couldn't leave Notre Dame with a bad taste in my mouth."
There will be a transition for Foskey as long-time Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston is now at Michigan and Al Washington has stepped into the role.
But you won't see any sour grapes from Foskey as he's happy for Elston.
"It was surprising he left," explained Foskey. "He did mention it three or four days before he left that it was a possibility he could leave, but not guaranteed. When he officially announced it, it wasn't a surprise because we felt it could happen.
"I'm always happy for him that he's going to Michigan. It's a fresh new start, but I'm always happy for him. He's my guy."
The other significant transition will be Freeman stepping into the head coach role, which Foskey couldn't be happier to experience.
"He was the first guy when Coach Kelly left that I wanted to be head coach," stated Foskey. "That's my guy. The whole defense and all the players have a really good relationship with him. All the defensive players were on board with him being head coach.
"He's a real players coach and I love him."