Veteran assistant coach Bryant Foster, a top 50 defensive back coach named by Big Game Bloomer, joined the Alabama A&M staff as the cornerbacks coach in the spring of 2023 after previously serving as the defensive backs coach at Coastal Carolina University from 2019-22.
His tenure with CCU was highlighted by a pair of undrafted free agent signings from former players in Lance Boykin and D’Jordan Strong. A co-captain on the defensive side of the ball in 2022, Boykin earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors in his second year at CCU. A 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl invitee, the redshirt senior cornerback was named a 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl "Breakout Defensive Player of the Week" (Nov. 14), as he had three tackles and a career-high four pass breakups in the home win over Southern Miss.
Despite missing two games on the year, he finished the season ranked second on the team with 58 tackles and led the Chants' defense with eight pass breakups and 10 passes defended. He was also tied for the team lead with two interceptions, while also adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack, and one forced fumble. In his two seasons at the beach after transferring in from Old Dominion, Boykin played in 24 games. He totaled 85 tackles, including 48 solo stops, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks overall. He added three interceptions, 15 passes defended, and one forced fumble.
Strong, a three-year starter in the defensive backfield for the Chanticleers after transferring in from Northeast Mississippi Community College, was a two-time All-Sun Belt first-team selection and named the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Football Newcomer of the Year.
Named to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 preseason list, Strong was also a two-time Phil Steele Sun Belt All-Conference selection and named to the 2021 Pro Football Focus (PFF) College Football All-Sun Belt first team. Over 11 games in 2022, teams shied away from throwing from the cornerback, as he totaled 17 tackles, including 12 solo stops, one interception, four pass breakups, and recovered one fumble.
In his three years in the Teal and Bronze, he played in 36 games. He recorded 73 tackles, including 54 solo stops, and 2.0 tackles-for-loss, while also totaling six interceptions and defending 27 passes in the secondary. He also forced one fumble and recovered another.
With a veteran-led defense in 2021, the Chanticleers outscored all their opponents 532-281 on the season. Coastal was one of only four teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-25 in both total offense (5th) and total defense (25th), one of only seven teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-30 in both most first downs on offense (25th) and fewest first downs allowed on defense (27th), and one of only eight teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-25 in both scoring offense (5th) and scoring defense (25th).
The defense ranked in the top 35 nationally in several categories, placing 16th in passing defense (190.3 ypg), 25th in scoring defense (21.6 ppg), 25th in total defense (339.5 ypg), and 32nd in red zone defense (77.5 percent).
D’Jordan Strong picked up All-Sun Belt first-team honors for the second consecutive season, as he led the team and was tied for second in the Sun Belt with 10 pass breakups on the year. He also recorded seven pass breakups in conference play, which ranked sixth in the Sun Belt.
Foster made an immediate impact in his first two years at CCU, as he has coached two defensive backs that at one point led the nation and finished in the top-seven of all of FBS in interceptions in Chandler Kryst (2019) and D’Jordan Strong (2020).
In his second season at CCU in 2020, the Chanticleers won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference title, posted an 11-1 overall mark, including an 8-0 Sun Belt Conference record, and played in the program’s first-ever FBS postseason bowl game.
The 2020 season marked Coastal Carolina’s first-ever undefeated regular season and the first time that the Chanticleers were ranked in either the Associated Press Top 25 Poll or the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports.
The Chanticleers posted two wins over FBS top 25 nationally-ranked opponents, the first two such victories in program history, four wins over top 50 opponents, and was ranked as high as No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the Amway Coaches Poll, both Sun Belt Conference records. The Chanticleers were also ranked as high as No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, also a Sun Belt record.
In 2020, the Chants’ defense led the Sun Belt in fumble recoveries (9) and was second in interceptions (16), which also ranked third nationally. CCU led the Sun Belt in turnovers forced (25) and was second in turnover margin (+13), which both ranked among the nation’s best at the end of the 2020 season.
The defense was also second in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (20.2 points per game), second in sacks per game (2.83), second in fourth-down conversion percent defense (44.4 percent), third in first downs defense (223), third in fewest passing yards allowed (204.2 yards per game), third in fewest rushing yards allowed (147.7 yards per game), third in tackles-for-loss per game (6.4), third in total defense (351.9 yards per game), and fourth in third-down conversion percentage defense (38.0 percent).
First-year Chant D’Jordan Strong was named the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team. Strong, who led all of NCAA FBS in interceptions for two-thirds of the season, finished the year ranked second in the Sun Belt and third nationally with five interceptions on the year. He totaled seven pass breakups to give him 12 passes defended which were tied for fifth in the league overall and added 30 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and one forced fumble.
Strong was one of six different players in the Sun Belt to pick up two interceptions in the same game but the only one to do it twice with two picks against both Georgia Southern (Oct. 24) and Appalachian State (Nov. 21), one of which he returned for a touchdown to help seal the Chants’ first-ever win over App State.
On the other side of the field, cornerback Derick Bush added two interceptions and nine total passes defended while also finishing with 41 total tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss, all career highs, while young Chants Jordan Morris and Manny Stokes Jr. both earned quality playing time in several games throughout the historical season.
In just his first season at CCU in 2019, the defense improved in every area from 2018 to 2019, as the “Black Swarm” defense led the Sun Belt in fewest first downs allowed (241), was third in interceptions (11), fourth in scoring defense (30.5 points allowed per game), fourth in total defense (383.6 yards per game), fourth in rushing defense (160.1 yards per game), fifth in fewest passing yards allowed (223.5 yards per game), and sixth in red-zone defense (85.7 percent).
Under Foster’s tutelage, redshirt senior cornerback Chandler Kryst at one point led the nation and finished seventh in all of NCAA FBS with five interceptions on the season. He was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week (Sept. 9) after picking off two passes in the win over Kansas, the program’s first-ever win over a Power 5 opponent. Kryst, who also totaled 37 tackles and six pass breakups in his final season, was named to the 2019 All-Sun Belt second team and the 2019 Phil Steele Sun Belt Conference All-Conference third team.
Redshirt senior cornerback Mallory Claybourne was fifth on the team with 45 total tackles despite playing in only eight games, while sophomore Derick Bush (28 tackles, four pass breakups, and an interception) and redshirt freshmen Jordan Morris (15 tackles and one pass breakup) and Damari Kelly (seven tackles) continued to improve throughout the season for the Chants in the defensive secondary.
Prior his time with the Chats, Foster spent time at Charleston Southern. In 2018, CSU finished fourth in the FCS standings allowing just 139.4 passing yards per game and eighth in turnover margin at +0.91. Foster’s leadership helped with the creation of “F4”, the Bucs’ defensive back group, that featured three Big South All-Conference selections, including two-time All-American James Allen.
Foster helped guide a young secondary to finish 26th in the FCS in passing yards allowed at 185.4 yards per game. Junior Shadarius Hopkins finished second in the Big South with 14 passes defended on his way to earning second-team All-Big South honors, while fellow juniors Jonathon Slaton and James Allen also contributed multiple plays on the defensive side of the ball as the Bucs finished the year 18th in the FCS in total defense at 311.5 yards per game.
Foster was also selected by the Washington Redskins to participate in the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship over the 2018 summer, a program that provides NFL coaching experience to a diverse group of coaches every year.
Before his stint at CSU, Foster spent two seasons as the cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator at Hampton University. Foster served in the same capacity at Campbell from 2013-14.
In 2014 at Campbell, Foster helped the Fighting Camels rank in the top 50 nationally in pass efficiency defense (46th) and in the top 30 in red-zone defense (26th). Brandon Mobley tied the NCAA record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season.
Prior to his two years at Campbell, Foster coached at Delaware State for two seasons, helping the Hornets to their first winning season in five years in 2012. Delaware State ranked second in the MEAC that season with 15 interceptions.
Under Foster’s guidance, Delaware State cornerback Nick Williams ranked sixth in the MEAC with three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. Delaware State also ranked second in the MEAC in turnover ratio at 1.36 (+15).
Before joining the Hornets, Foster spent four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater Gardner-Webb. In 2010, with Foster serving as the cornerbacks coach, Gardner-Webb ranked sixth nationally in all of FCS in pass defense and 15th in total defense. Both of the Bulldogs’ starting corners were named first-team All-Big South that season.
Foster coached Gardner-Webb’s defensive line during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. During that time, a freshman on the defensive line received All-Big South recognition.
Before coaching at Gardner-Webb, Foster served as the linebackers coach at the University of the South Sewanee (Tenn.) from 2005-06, where each season he coached an All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference linebacker.
His first collegiate coaching job came in 2002 when he was a defensive assistant at Presbyterian College. He was also selected to coach in the Division II Cactus Bowl College All-Star Game.
A native of Chesnee, S.C., Foster is also a veteran of the high school coaching ranks in the Palmetto State. He served as an assistant coach with Greer High School in 2003 and 2004, helping the Yellow Jackets win the 2003 Class 3A state championship.
Foster also had one-year coaching stints at Chesnee High School and Wade Hampton High School.
Foster graduated from Gardner-Webb in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in management information systems. He was a three-year starter for the Runnin’ Bulldogs at cornerback, safety, and outside linebacker under coaches Woody Fish and Steve Patton. In 1998, Foster won the Bulldog Award for the most improved and dedicated player.
