The Clemson football team will have an added boost for the 2021 season in the form of the returning WR Justyn Ross.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney confirmed to the media Friday afternoon that Ross had been officially cleared to return to football activities, but he is not at practice currently.
Why? Ross is currently in COVID protocol.
#BREAKING: Dabo Swinney says Justyn Ross is cleared to play this season but is out this week in COVID protocol.
— Clemson Sports (@ClemsonSports) August 6, 2021
Clemson football gets a major gamechanger in Justyn Ross and hopefully he’ll be back soon
There’s no doubt that having Justyn Ross back is going to be a major difference-maker for the Tigers this upcoming season. That being said, unfortunately, he’ll be out for this week in COVID protocol.
The key for Clemson is going to be building chemistry and that all starts with players being able to participate in practice. Ross undoubtedly has one of the best skill sets in the nation and the hope for the Tigers is that he’s able to return to the practice field at 100 percent sooner rather than later. He won’t be able to return until next Friday, according to Swinney, which means he’ll miss the first scrimmage.
Swinney spoke about how the Tigers were prepping Ross to potentially play the slot earlier this spring and the truth of the matter is that he could be absolutely dangerous from that spot. Ross has too much athleticism to be covered by a linebacker or safety and he has too much physicality to be covered by an incoming cornerback or nickel.
It’s going to be interesting to watch and see how he progresses over the course of this preseason when he does officially return to the practice field.
This is a major win for both Clemson football and Justyn Ross. There were legitimate doubts for a long time– and it was up-in-the-air for quite a while– whether or not he’d ever be able to play again.
Now, he’s back and he has an opportunity to prove that he’s still one of the best in the country.