Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ther, James Folston, for keeping him grounded and in superior athletic condition. "A workout machine," Wilkinson said of his prize pupil. "He would do the regular workout with us — and then his dad had his own workouts for him after practice." The elder Folston was a standout linebacker at Louisiana-Monroe and played eight years in the NFL after getting drafted in the second round in 1994. It didn't take long for the younger Folston to become a student of the game and develop into an allpurpose back in Wilkinson's Wing-T offense. "Everybody kept saying he was a 'speed back,' but he's always been a hard runner who will put his shoulder down and initiate contact," Wilkinson said. "He has a high football IQ, studies tape, reads defenses, has great vision — and that's what allows him to play fast." At 5-9 and 207 pounds, Folston combines a low center of gravity with power and speed. He prides himself as a north-south runner, a quality he said is especially crucial in today's game when more and more linebackers have the speed of safeties and even corners, i.e. classmate Jaylon Smith. "Not too many opponents like to tackle you when you're going north and south," Folston said. "East and west it's a lot easier to tackle. When you run north and south you break a lot more tackles — and you know what comes after broken tackles. That's the way we play." In the 247Sports Composite, Folston was evaluated as the nation's No. 10 running back prospect and the No. 104 overall senior. Such accolades usually have one projected as a potential impact player, and if instant gratification doesn't occur, then the temptation