LAWRENCE —First impressions about Bryce Foster developed quickly within the Kansas football program.
“Holy crap, that guy’s huge,” senior offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue recalled.
“He’s a worker; every day he’s chopping wood,” senior offensive lineman Michael Ford Jr. noted.
“I think he’s freaking jacked. He’s a big dude. I think his nickname’s ‘The Mountain,’ or something,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Shane Bumgardner added.
Even Matt Gildersleeve, the Jayhawks’ director of sports performance, made the observation, “When a guy’s neck is the size of my waist, it stands out pretty quickly. I feel bad for the collared shirt he’s going to try to put on here this first game.”
But while Foster passes the eyeball test, the redshirt junior offensive lineman who transferred in from Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season could do much more than that for Kansas this fall. Foster, who looks every bit of the 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds at which he’s listed, is in a competition with Bumgardner to be the Jayhawks’ starting center this year. And in addition to the potential he brings to the team, there’s an appreciation for what’s possible at his new home.
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“It’s a fresh start,” said Foster, who’s also a track and field athlete. “I mean, I think that while I was there, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. I loved the people at A&M, I think that was really good. The alumni’s great, I loved it there. But I kind of felt like I needed a new, like —just kind of a new start, I think is the best way to put it. … But I think I made a really good decision in coming here. I’ve absolutely loved it here.”
While Foster evaluated his options in the transfer portal, he searched for a destination that didn’t have a city-like feel. While driving around Lawrence and admiring the landscape, he remembered just making sure to ask first, “So, are there tornadoes through here?” Clearly, he felt comfortable with the response and made sure to note there’s enough options for places to eat.
On the field, a significant change to which he had to acclimate was the difference in practice style. Compared to Texas A&M, while Kansas’ practices are shorter, they are also run at a much faster pace —no matter if it is an individual or team period. But deep into fall camp, Foster allowed that difference to help him get in shape.
There was also the need to acclimate to the verbiage the Jayhawks use offensively. From Foster’s perspective, offenses are similar when it comes to the schemes they use, but someone in one place might refer to a call for a double team differently than another. “Dude, that’s so many words,” Foster’s father once said to him about a Kansas play call they discussed, but Foster’s at a point now where he understands what to listen for, so he knows what to do.
The team is still getting to know Foster in some regard, as Gildersleeve mentioned, because he arrived part of the way through the summer. But Gildersleeve highlighted how Foster has responded to adversity and showcased grit. The Jayhawks weren’t concerned about where Foster played before or how highly rated he was coming out of high school, Gildersleeve explained, because character and more outweigh those things.
“Good kid,” offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa said. “In the recruiting process — he’s got a great personality. I think he can have a great conversation, light up the room. Obviously, his size and strength is very, very noticeable off the bat. As we’ve gotten him in here, what’s been very impressive for me as a coach is his football IQ. He picks up terminology and languages pretty quick, and schemes really quick, and I think that’s just helped propel him to where he is right now.”
Cabeldue, Ford and Bumgardner all shared similar praise for the type of person Foster is, too. And Foster, in the midst of a competition with Bumgardner for a starting role, had nothing but positive things to say about the success Bumgardner has had in college and the person Bumgardner is. However the competition for the center job unfolds, or even if Foster ends up playing at guard, Foster is willing to do what he can to help Kansas win.
Looking past this season, Gildersleeve is also excited about the prospect of having a full offseason to work with Foster. Gildersleeve mentioned that Foster’s track and field background has allowed him to develop physically to the point there are things he can do from a power perspective you don’t typically see from someone at his position. It’s yet another example of the potential Foster has with the Jayhawks that just needs to be realized as they chase a Big 12 Conference championship.
“When he got here, our perspective in training was we’ve got to get this guy ready to play football, right?” Gildersleeve said. “You’re not really doing things to enhance performance or even really —you don’t have time to really measure some of the deficiencies that he might have, strengths, and not even really develop an individualized training program.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
