Jordyn Foster recently made history as the youngest and first woman director of football operations at North Carolina A&T State University.
“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 a long relationship with football, dating back to when she was a young girl growing up. She was a young fan of the Denver Broncos living in Prince George’s County, Maryland although her peers were fans of the Washington Commanders or 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 carried her love for football with her to North Carolina A&T State University intending to become a sports agent. But following her experience as an intern at Quality Control Sports and an NFL experienceship she completed in the fall of 2022, she realized that she did not want to be a sports agent anymore.
She reached out to the North Carolina A&T’s previous director of football operations, Jacquan “Jay” Respass, following suggestions by some of her friends. She pitched to Respass a job opportunity that didn’t exist, which was to become 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 assisted Foster in facing the real world and molded her into the ideal employee that universities would be looking for. She also capitalized on the opportunity to learn everything, from how to book team flights to how to be assertive 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’ effort eventually paid off when Respass left NC A&T for a job with the Arizona Cardinals. She started a three-month process for the university’s director of football operations position. Just before she graduated from NC A&T in May, she got the job from head football coach Vincent Brown.
She was hired as the youngest and first woman director of football operations at North Carolina A&T State University at the age of 23. Her appointment was hailed nationally, and she even got a tweet from Deion Sanders, and another congratulatory message from Jennifer King, the first Black woman to become a full-time assistant coach in the NFL.
