DE Justin Foster returns to Clemson football after COVID-19 retirement

Clemson Tigers defensive end Justin Foster, once thought to be a future NFL prospect, shocked the college football world in February when he announced he was retiring due to lingering complications caused by a bout with COVID-19 combined with problems linked with asthma and allergies. 

However, Clemson confirmed on Wednesday that Foster is returning to the program for the 2021 campaign after he missed last season. 

"For me, the decision came when I went to Duke a couple weeks ago and the doctor was positive on me recovering in the near future," Foster explained for the prepared statement. "In the next month or two, she thought I’d recover enough to compete at the college level, and she motivated me and said that if I wanted to play again, she’d encourage me to and support me and she would do the best she could to get me back healthy. She believed that I will be healthy and, for me, that was a big stepping stone." 

Head coach Dabo Swinney added: 

"It’s not often you get a call from a great player that you think is gone and he says he’s coming back, so just a great thing. First of all, just really excited for Justin that he is feeling better with his health and his ability to train like he wants to train. And it’s great for Clemson because that gives us seven guys that have started back on our defensive line — five guys that have started at D-end and two that have started at D-tackle. He’s a great leader with great experience and a really talented football player." 

Foster told ESPN's T.J. Quinn that he noticed improvements after he received his first COVID-19 vaccine shot in mid-April. "Physically I'm in a better place, but overall, how I feel mentally is the big thing. I do see myself getting better," he said. 

From 2017 through 2019, Foster recorded 66 tackles, seven sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.