Two true freshmen have made an abundantly clear argument for more playing time

Two touches. Two touchdowns.

That’s all it took for you to recognize Justyn Ross and the star power he possesses.

Well that, and going viral didn’t hurt, either.

Ross’ flashes of playmaking ability after his first three games have only left us wondering how Clemson could keep him off the field down the road.

Let’s be clear: we know it’s only the beginning of what Dabo Swinney calls the second quarter of Clemson’s season. Sure, Ross saw minimal action against Furman and Georgia Southern and only one snap against Texas A&M.

But what we’ve seen from the five-star wide receiver from Phenix City, AL has been nothing short of special.

Could he have asked for a better start? When we first saw Ross on the Day 1 of August camp, he was standing right next to Tee Higgins. The two physically looked like twins with a helmet on.

For Higgins, a 6-foot-5 receiver who came into Clemson weighing 188, he had to bulk his way up to 210 after his freshman year. But Ross - a true freshman - is already physically that far ahead of where Higgins was this time a year ago weighing 208 pounds.

You could try to keep Ross a secret, but that wasn’t going to last long. Then came the video.

Ross made a dazzling one-handed catch over Denzel Johnson during one of Clemson’s August scrimmages. The video was picked up by ESPN’s social media department and the rest was history.

Wide receivers coach Jeff Scott and Dabo Swinney laughed it off, but even they have had a hard time keeping from being a bit giddy when talking about the new No. 8.

Clemson’s receiving corps is one of the most talented, deepest groups on the team which made us wonder if or when Ross would see the field. But after making an immediate splash in August camp, Ross was listed behind Higgins and alongside junior Diondre Overton for the 9-man position.

Finally, fans got to see what they had been hearing about all August as Ross caught his first pass against Furman. A slip screen thrown by Trevor Lawrence, a few shifty moves were made, and Ross was in the end zone for his first career touchdown. It was reminiscent of Sammy Watkins’ first catch as a true freshman in Death Valley when he scored in the same end zone.

There were plenty of butterflies in the reality of that moment, but Ross has continued to settle in and work during practice. Then, his second career catch came against Georgia Southern.

The end result was the same. This time, everyone watching the crafty route-running and juke moves after the 58-yard touchdown run was left in awe as they saw another glimpse of what’s to come.

Ross was the leading receiver for Clemson against the Eagles with three catches for 103 yards. Unfortunately, his third career catch didn’t keep the scoring streak alive.

“He’s just a very polished young player,” Swinney said after his performance. “That’s one of the

things that have made him so valuable early on. I thought the first game or so his eyes were kind of big. But what we saw in practice, very special.”

The game has had to slow down for Ross, but after a big week of preparation for plenty of snaps against the Eagles, the confidence is only continuing to bloom. We remember late last season when Higgins, who was where Ross is now, would line up with 9-man Deon Cain at times to create a mismatch.

It's hard not to keep your mind from wandering when you think of what Clemson's offense would look like with Higgins and Ross on the field at the same time.

Scott said Monday he’s had to pick the right spots to put Ross into the game this early into the season. A monster atmosphere at Texas A&M only got to see one play from the true freshman.

The co-offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach will be the first to tell you that it’s not how many snaps you get, it’s what you do with those reps that will dictate what other opportunities you get.

It’s safe to say after three games Ross has done everything he possibly can to show what he can do not only catching the ball but blocking downfield.

“That was a big challenge for him getting ready for this past week,” Scott said. “There’s no doubt ability wise what he can do. But you don’t want to just put him out there in certain situations and say, ‘hey, just for this play go do this.’

“You really want him to be able to go and execute the entire offense and so I really felt like he was challenged last week in practice getting ready, and learning the game plan knowing it would be a game he would get some opportunity. There’s no doubt he’s becoming one of our top playmakers on offense… He is one of those guys in that room that makes us better offensively.”

Ross isn’t the only player who has left his immediate mark on the playing field.

It’s not hard to notice whenever Xavier Thomas checks into the game. Opposing left tackles who may be trying to catch their breath after going up against Clemson’s starting front four can’t afford not to.

We said last week heading into Georgia Southern to look for Thomas making some sort of play when he gets his opportunity. Against Furman, he galloped into the backfield and made a tackle with one arm. Against the Aggies, we saw the athleticism while attempting to cover a running back in the passing game.

So of course against Georgia Southern, he gets his first career sack. When you watch him play at any moment, his explosive first step is the first thing that catches your eye. The No. 1 defensive end coming out of high school whips around the tackle, but is careful to not overpursue.

It’s a sight Clemson fans will be seeing for a long time the next couple years.

Like Ross, Thomas finds himself behind a group with plenty of depth. Only this group may be the best unit assembled in school history.

Clemson Sports Talk

Xavier Thomas during a preseason workout.

But Venables did admit Monday that Thomas is a little further along as a freshman than Clelin Ferrell or Shaq Lawson were when they first enrolled.

So Thomas has to take his opportunities as he gets them. He’s made the most of them so far and Venables told ClemsonSportsTalk that Thomas has met the expectations they’ve had for him.

“We recognize how difficult it is to transition as a freshman coming out of high school and Xavier has done a great job with working and learning and the effort day in and day out,” Venables said. “The more he has practiced, the more reps he takes, the better he’s gotten.

“You are just seeing him scratch the surface of what he can be.”

Clemson’s 2018 recruiting class may very well go down as one of the best classes in school history with the Milky Way of stars it possesses. We haven’t even mentioned quarterback Trevor Lawrence in this conversation.

As ESPN’s Anish Shroff exclaimed as Ross crossed into the end zone on Saturday, “he is the future at Clemson, and you got a glimpse!”

But why, after a few glimpses, should Clemson wait for the future to arrive?

These two freshmen have made an abundantly clear argument that they should - and probably will - get more playing time.

Sooner rather than later.