Justin Forsett

Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is an American football running back and punt returner for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.

Early years
Forsett was born in Lakeland, Florida. He moved to Arlington, Texas in his sophomore year of high school after living in Mulberry, Florida. Forsett attended high school at Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, where he set several school records. In his final two seasons, he had 63 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 5,000 yards, leading Grace Prep to two Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools division 4A state championships. In high school, his nickname was "The Truth." His father Rodney is a minister and a coach. Forsett plays the tenor saxophone and taught himself a little piano. He lists video games and photography as his hobbies. Reggie White is his biggest inspiration.

Close to signing day, Notre Dame pulled a scholarship offer from Forsett. Notre Dame coaches later contended they had not offered Forsett a scholarship. Notre Dame's running backs coach at the time, Buzz Preston, later said that Notre Dame was looking for a taller running back. The Texas Longhorns decided not to offer Forsett a scholarship because of his size. Forsett's coach Mike Barber, a former NFL player, distributed Forsett's game tape to colleges across the country. Coach Jeff Tedford offered Forsett a scholarship after watching Forsett's game tape and receiving a tip from Cal great Chuck Muncie, and made Forsett one of the last signings of Cal's 2004 recruiting class.

College career
With a deep depth chart at running back, it appeared Forsett would redshirt his freshman year, but an impressive performance in fall camp kept him on the active roster. In the season opener, Forsett had 34 yards rushing and a touchdown in Cal's victory over Air Force. Forsett played mostly as a backup during his first three years behind J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch. Nevertheless, he managed to amass a good amount of playing time. During his freshman year, Forsett was used primarily on special teams, returning one kickoff for 11 yards but usually blocking for Marshawn Lynch. On coverage units, he made 3 tackles and blocked a punt in the endzone for a touchdown against Washington.

During his sophomore year, Forsett became second on the Cal depth chart at running back. He filled in when Lynch was injured in the early season and ran for 235 yards against New Mexico State, good for the fourth highest single game rushing effort in school history. In Forsett's junior year, he continued his role as backup. He ran for over 100-yards against Oregon when injuries sidelined Lynch and in Cal's rout of Texas A&M in the 2006 Holiday Bowl.



As a starter his senior year, Forsett rushed for 1,546 yards on 305 carries, and scored 15 touchdowns. He opened the season with 156 yards rushing and a touchdown against Tennessee. His 15 touchdowns led all rushers in the Pac-10, and his 1,546 rushing yards finished second, behind Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart. Forsett's efforts earned him a selection to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team. Forsett ended his college career on a high note, rushing for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 42-36 Cal victory over Air Force in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.

Statistics
Rushing

Receiving

First stint with Seahawks
Forsett was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round in the 2008 NFL Draft. He scored his first NFL touchdown on August 16, 2008 in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. A game in which he also totaled 261 all purpose yards, 136 rushing and 125 on return yards. The total was 55 yards more than the entire Chicago Bear offense for the night. One game into the regular season, Forsett was waived by the Seahawks on September 5, 2008.

Indianapolis Colts
A day after being waived by the Seahawks, Forsett was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on September 10, 2008. He was waived on October 8.

Second stint with Seahawks
A day after being waived by the Colts, Forsett was re-signed to the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks on October 9, 2008. Forsett was then signed from the practice squad on October 14, 2008 and became the return specialist. For the 2009 season, he was slated to compete with Julius Jones and Edgerrin James for touches in a crowded Seahawks backfield. After the release of Edgerrin James, Forsett became the teams No. 2 back which gave him an opportunity to get more touches and make a bigger on-the-field impact. On November 15, Julius Jones, the starting running back for the Seahawks, left a game against the Arizona Cardinals with a bruised lung. Forsett filled in for Jones, rushing for 123 yards and his first regular season touchdown. He started as the primary running back on November 22 game against the Minnesota Vikings, scoring his second touchdown on a 9-yard run. With the Seahawks' running game struggling, Forsett also caught 8 passes for 80 yards. On November 29 against the St. Louis Rams, he rushed for a career high 130 yards and two scores. With the return of Julius Jones in week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, Forsett was relegated back to the position of 2nd-string running-back. He saw only 8 touches, rushing for a net gain of 9 yards, reception of 25 yards, and one touchdown. When asked if Forsett will be elevated to the position of the primary running back for the Seattle Seahawks, Coach Jim Mora responded,"You'll see them both and we like them both." But Mora confirmed that Forsett will see more touches, "Are we going to see more of Justin? The answer is yes, absolutely."

Business
Forsett is co-owner of Showerpill with his two friends from college Wendell and Wale Hunter.