Justyn Ross, who was projected to be Clemson’s WR1 come fall, has been ruled out for the duration of the upcoming season.
Ross, who is a rising Junior from Alabama, has been diagnosed with “Congenital fusion” which is a spinal injury that stems from birth.
Ross is said to feel physically fine, but will fly to Pittsburgh on Thursday and undergo surgery on Friday with Dr. David Okonkwo, who is a leading neuroscientist.
“He feels perfectly fine,” said Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney. “but doctors know he’s at risk.” The ultimate goal is that Ross will one day return to the football field, but even that is optimistic thinking.
Last year, during Ross’ Sophmore season, the speedy white-out accounted for 66 catches, 865 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.
Clemson will now turn to Senior wideout Amari Rodgers along with Sophmore, Frank Landson Jr. to carry the heavy lifting. The two WRs combined for a total of 554 receiving yards last season and are in no way, the weapon that Ross represents every time he steps on the gridiron.
To say that there is now a MAJOR problem in the land of one of the elite programs in the country would be an understatement. It will be interesting to see how Dabo and his staff respond in the face of adversity.
