Justin Alumbaugh estimates only a handful of the plentiful nicknames his Concord (Calif.) De La Salle High School football players give each other make their way to him. It’s for the best, he thinks. Let them have their jokes.
But a particular one bestowed upon Isaiah Foskey by a friend a few years back reached his ears and made too much sense. “The Equalizer” matched Foskey’s soft-spoken personality with his twitchy athletic traits and austere on-field demeanor. It’s a reference to a movie where one of Foskey’s favorite actors is an unassuming store worker who doubles as a deft vigilante.
“It’s Denzel Washington playing this guy who’s just quiet, but can turn and flip his switch in a matter of seconds,” Foskey said. “I’m low-key about everything. But when it comes to football, I’m all out.”
Alumbaugh witnessed it up close for three years in practices and on Friday nights. Foskey, a two-way starter at defensive end and tight end for De La Salle, was a backfield magnet and edge punisher too physical and slippery for opponents to handle. Outside the lines, he was a cheery teammate and “cuddly bear.”
“You see him in the hallway goofing around, he has that big smile,” Alumbaugh said. “Then you put on pads and he’s not smiling so much.”
None of that has really changed since Foskey arrived at Notre Dame from Northern California in the summer of 2019 as a four-star defensive end recruit. He is, though, around more folks built like himself and capable of matching his traits. He has teammates who like him were 6-2 and 190 pounds or more in eighth grade and now can jump out of a pool.
That is not to say his assimilation into college life and a bigger stage has gone poorly. Foskey offered flashes during a four-game freshman sample, which allowed him to keep his redshirt. He had five tackles and a quarterback hurry. He blocked a punt in Notre Dame’s win at Stanford. Most weeks, he was a valuable scout team member. And in 2020, with a pair of fifth-year seniors still around, Foskey is likely to begin his sophomore year in a rotational role.
“We think he can be a very special player,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said in November. “He can impact our sub package in particular and be a starter in that sub package. He can influence the pass rush for us in a positive way.”
