'He's Points': Justyn Ross' immediate impact on Clemson's offense is even surprising him
It’s hard to believe he’s only been at Clemson for four months.
But when wide receiver Justyn Ross stepped on campus late in the summer, he was hardly a kept secret.
With all of the talent within the wide receiver room at Clemson, it’s easy to overlook the younger talent. We were told all spring about Derion Kendrick, the incoming freshman receiver who was the state of South Carolina’s top recruit.
And then there was Braden Galloway, the incoming tight end who Dabo Swinney has said has all the potential to be better than former tight end Jordan Leggett. Those two players, mixed with the veterans of Hunter Renfrow, Diondre Overton, Trevion Thompson - not to mention the emergence of Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers - looked to have given Clemson an upgrade at the receiver position.
But as August camp approached, there was a thought of, “oh yeah, we forgot the number one receiver in the country hasn’t stepped on the field yet.”
Oops.
With the amount of talent - and players more experienced - it was okay to be skeptical if Ross was going to make an immediate impact on Clemson’s offense.
It’s also okay to look at the offense at the halfway point of the season and believe a lot of the explosive plays this offense has been begging for has come at the hands of Ross being on the field.
If Swinney was going to be fair and play the players who have done the most for the team from a production standpoint, then getting Ross more snaps as the season has progressed was only right.
Because Ross has not failed to deliver when it comes to production. It actually feels like he’s gone above and beyond given his limited opportunities.
Clemson has 12 plays of 50 yards or more this season. Three of those plays have been Ross touchdown catches.
Ross is the first player since Artavis Scott in 2014 to have at least three touchdowns of 50 yards or more in a single season. Through six games, the No. 1 recruit out of the state of Alabama has 14 catches for 286 yards and four touchdowns. The 20.4 yards per catch is the second-highest average on the team (running back Lyn-J Dixon as one catch for 41 yards).
His fourth touchdown came on his 11th career catch, which means Ross was scoring 36-percent of the time he was touching the ball.
Swinney has taken notice and said it’s hard to keep him on the sideline when he’s keeping those numbers up.
“Well, he’s points,” Swinney said Monday. “He scores a lot of touchdowns. It seems like every time he catches it, it's a big play.
“He’s just another weapon. Obviously, we’ve got some really good players, especially at that 9-man position with Tee and Diondre and Justyn. I mean, he is a big, strong, physical receiver.”
Ross came into Clemson 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Higgins, Clemson’s No. 1 option at receiver as a sophomore came into Clemson around 190 pounds before bulking up to 209 over the summer. The two now look almost identical from afar with a helmet and pads on. And their skillset isn’t that much different either.
“I look at Tee as like an older brother,” Ross said. “He’s kind of paved the way for me and leading me. Showing me everything that I really need to know… We’re very similar. Big receivers, long, fast, can run. We do a lot of stuff the same.”
When Ross was being recruited by Clemson, he was drawn to the culture of the program and the family atmosphere surrounding the team. The recent success with putting wide receivers in the NFL was a bit of an eye-opener as well.
“Yeah, ‘Wide Receiver U’ it had a part in it because as a receiver - everybody that goes here goes to the NFL,” Ross said. “I see it happening and I feel like I could be one of those guys.”
Now Ross has routinely made big plays for Clemson in the passing game. You’re more surprised when he doesn’t have a catch that ends with six points on the board. Even behind closed doors, Ross made a strong one-handed catch during an August scrimmage that was caught on video and went viral.
It ended up being a warning of things to come. But Ross didn’t think he’d have the immediate impact he’s currently having on Clemson’s offense back when he stepped on campus for the first time. He’s actually surprised by the number of snaps he’s gotten so far.
“I wasn't too worried about playing time when I first got here because I knew I had a lot to develop on and get ready for,” Ross added. “I have developed faster than I thought I would.”
“Me and Lyn-J (Dixon) talk about it all the time. We are kind of still surprised. Like we don’t even think it’s real how much of an impact we are making here. It’s a top-5 team and we just got on campus this summer.”
Clemson’s offense currently ranks eighth in the country in total offense, averaging 531 yards per game and 7.51 yards per play. The explosiveness is back to Swinney’s liking at the midway point of the season and Ross has played a significant role in that improvement.
And there are no signs of Ross slowing down as the second half of the season approaches.
“He just gives us another weapon,” Swinney added. “There’s no question he’s on his way to having a great second half and definitely a guy that we want to continue to have involved.”
Not surprising, but Ross hasn’t second-guessed his decision to come to Clemson at all. In fact, his experience so far has been more than he could have possibly hoped for.
“I’ve grown to love Clemson since I’ve been here over the past few months,” Ross said. “It’s great. I love it here, and I love winning.”