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Battle to replace Foster at GSU ensues
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Back in December, coaches around the Southern Conference let out a long-awaited sigh when Jayson Foster finally crossed the graduation stage at Georgia Southern.

They couldn’t wait for the day when the 2007 Walter Payton winner — who had given them fits for years — would no longer suit up in blue and white. That day is now, and the Eagles’ search for his successor continued during the second day of spring practice Tuesday. The notion of replacing the elusive runner is simply impossible.

“Obviously it’s some big shoes to fill,” said redshirt freshman quarterback Lee Chapple, one of three players contending for the job. “You can’t match the speed of Jayson. He’s a one-time player. He’s going to be missed, but we are looking to refill his shoes really fast with more of a passing style this year.”

Foster’s awe-inspiring career would fill up more than a few highlight reels, and he capped his days as an Eagle by helping GSU rebound to a 7-4 season last fall while setting the NCAA single-season record for rushing yards by quarterback.

“It doesn’t matter what position you are playing or where you are playing in the country,” said senior receiver Raja Andrews. “Jayson is just a player that’s really hard to compare somebody else to.”

Chapple, Billy Lowe and Kyle Collins are battling for a shot at being next in a long line of talented Georgia Southern quarterbacks. Chapple took most of the snaps with the first-team offense Tuesday.

“The thing (the new quarterback) is going to have to do is just live up to the hype of being the quarterback at Georgia Southern — no matter if it’s behind Jayson or any of the other great quarterbacks we once had,” Andrews said. “They are going to have to come out here and prove themselves. That’s more important than trying to (replace Jayson).”