Kyle Tucker

LCJ

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Cliff Foster always dreamed of his son Landon playing in Neyland Stadium, just not the way he will on Saturday – as a member of the Kentucky football team. Cliff played safety at Tennessee under coach Johnny Majors in the 1980s and thought Landon was going to follow in his footsteps and become the Volunteers' punter.

But former UT coach Derek Dooley rescinded the younger Foster's scholarship offer in the summer of 2011, saying the team didn't have room for a kicker in that recruiting class. The Vols later took another kicker and Cliff Foster sent his letterman's pin back to his alma mater with a strongly worded letter.

"He's thrown all Tennessee everything out and he's had a blood transfusion," Landon said. "Bleeds blue now. And that's really the end of it."

Foster is in his third season as Kentucky's starting punter and is averaging 42.6 yards per punt with 25 of his 52 kicks being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He will play for the visiting team at Neyland this weekend, and Cliff will be there in blue.

"My dad's so supportive and stuck with me through the whole recruiting process," Foster said. "My parents haven't missed a game. They've gone everywhere – every away game, every home game. They're huge Kentucky fans."

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.