CLEMSON — Michael Foster was a very late addition to Clemson’s 2026 recruiting class.

The three-star in-state defensive end, out of Indian Land, originally committed to ECU back in May. However, his recruitment really started to heat up in November, when teams like Clemson and West Virginia offered, with several other Power-4 programs also showing genuine interest. However, it was the offer from the Tigers that he found most intriguing.

Foster has camped at Clemson each of the past three summers in an effort to earn one of those hard-to-get offers from the Tigers. It was his dream school. Literally.

For a time, it didn’t look like his dream was going to be realized. Clemson had its two commitments from defensive ends. Then, in September, three-star Dre Quinn decommitted, prompting the Tigers to go looking for one more player at the position.

The staff settled on Foster, and after several weeks of communication, Clemson officially offered in November.

“They were texting me a couple of months prior to the offer, then they ended up offering me the beginning of November,” Foster told The Clemson Insider. “It meant a lot, it really did. I can say up and down, Clemson was my dream school, but at the end of the day, at the start of my football journey, this was my goal. To see it come to pass was just everything. It was a very real and emotional feeling for me.”

While some might assume Foster jumped at the opportunity, he, in fact, did not. Over the next few weeks, Foster did a lot of soul-searching before deciding to flip and sign with Clemson.

Foster never did decommit publicly, choosing to reveal his decision on signing day during a ceremony at his high school. Although he did give ECU a heads-up, informing the staff of his decision ahead of time.

“It was a little struggle because I had a great relationship with the coaches at ECU,” Foster added. “I talked to the D-line coach, out of professional courtesy, to let them know it was a tough decision, but I was going to be going to Clemson. I did make that call to them, but it was a tough decision to make.”

Foster ended up choosing Clemson despite not having taken a game-day visit to campus this season. He never even took an official visit to the school.

“I have been to the camps, so I know, and just being around Clemson a lot, and just kind of seeing, ‘Hey, this is a school I set for myself,'” Foster said. “I know I will be coached by a high-class coaching staff, and I know I will be developed there. That played a part. I was just the best fit for me.”

Over his final two high school seasons, Foster racked up a total of 21 sacks and five forced fumbles.

As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound pass rusher was downright dominant, registering 140 tackles, 12.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. He earned 5A/4A Tri-County Defensive Player of the Year for 2025 from coaches in York, Lancaster and Chester counties and was also named Region 3-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Foster was invited to play in the Touchstone Energy Bowl and was voted one of the team captains for the winning North squad. After registering a sack and several quarterback pressures, Foster was named Defensive MVP of the game on Saturday.

“It was a great experience,” said Foster. “Getting to be there all week, getting to mesh with my teammates, coming out on top. We prepared to win that game. Being nominated team captain by all the players, that was an exciting moment for me. Then, to be defensive MVP was just a great moment for me.”

Foster also blocked a punt, the first of his career.

“I had never blocked a punt before,” Foster said. “That was a powerful moment for me.”

Foster won’t be on campus until the summer, but he is already brimming with excitement, anticipating what it is going to be like playing at his dream school.

“I am ready for it,” Foster said.