Jordyn Foster recently became North Carolina A&T State University’s youngest and first female director of football operations.
“In this space, I have to think twice about how I am carrying myself,” Foster told Andscape. “I have to make sure I am demanding my respect, especially in a predominantly male environment, but at the same time I am cautious about fitting into the angry Black woman stereotype while also being assertive. It’s a lot.”
Foster has had a long love affair with football, extending back to when she was a small girl. She was a teenage Denver Broncos fan residing in Prince George’s County, Maryland, despite the fact that her contemporaries supported the Washington Commanders or the Baltimore Ravens.
“I love football, but I used to not understand it,” Foster said. “But my dad would break down the plays for me. I asked a question on every down. ‘Well, why are they doing this? What does this mean? Why didn’t he call this play instead?’”
She brought her passion for football to North Carolina A&T State University, where she hoped to become a sports agent. However, after working as an intern at Quality Control Sports and completing an NFL experienceship in the fall of 2022, she realized she did not want to be a sports agent any longer.
Following the advice of some of her friends, she contacted North Carolina A&T’s previous director of football operations, Jacquan “Jay” Respass. Respass was pitched a career opportunity that didn’t exist: becoming the new football operations intern.
“I was shocked when Jordyn came in and asked for an internship. But it also excited me because here’s a young Black woman trying to break into the industry, and I have a chance to be a part of her journey,” said Respass.
He helped Foster adjust to life in the real world and shaped her into the ideal employee that universities want. She also took advantage of the opportunity to learn everything, from booking team flights to being forceful on the team.
“Jordyn isn’t afraid to add a little flavor to the job. She was always able to express her opinion and ideas. Her ideas made me realize we don’t have to keep doing things a certain way just because that’s the way they’ve been done,” Respass explained.
Fosters’ efforts were rewarded when Respass left NC A&T for a position with the Arizona Cardinals. She began a three-month search for the position of director of football operations at the institution. She acquired the job from head football coach Vincent Brown just before she graduated from NC A&T in May.
At the age of 23, she was hired as the youngest and first female director of football operations at North Carolina A&T State University. Her promotion was widely celebrated, and she even received a tweet from Deion Sanders, as well as a note of congratulations from Jennifer King, the first Black woman to be hired as a full-time assistant coach in the NFL.