NCAT Alumnus Becomes First Female, Youngest-Ever Director Of HBCU’s Football Operations

Jordyn Foster is the first woman and the youngest-ever director of football operations in North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT) history.

The 22-year-old NCAT alumnus started her journey to sports management as an intern under the former director, JaQuan Respass, according to the university’s A&T Register.

“I walked in and asked the director of football operations if I could be his intern,” Foster said. The A&T Register noted that she was the first-ever intern for the director who worked at the Historically Black University (HBCU) for five years.

Then, in March 2023 when Respass accepted a role with the Arizona Cardinals in football operations; the door opened for Foster to fill the position at NCAT. Becoming an intern for the previous director of football operations was something she forged on her own.

Football head coach Vincent Brown put Foster under a three-month interview period before graduation, the A&T Register reported. After proving that she was qualified for the job, Brown told Foster, “Jordyn, your future is to become the next A&T DFO.”

Now, Foster gives praise to the most high for her journey that wasn’t exactly a straight path.

She said to the university outlet, “I give all glory to God,” and she’s had her fair share of rejection. The Prince George’s County, Maryland native said she tried to get an internship with the National Football League (NFL) and was denied.

“I applied to the NFL Experienceship Program the year before and was denied,” she shared.

But her perseverance paid off.

“I applied again with these experiences under my belt and was accepted,” Foster said. While some students are able to identify their passions as young as high school, Foster took some time figuring out that she wanted to get into managing sports. The NCAT graduate said about her experience working as a pool manager, “It helped me realize I loved managing.”