Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney told reporters on Monday that wide receiver Justyn Ross will miss the 2020 college football season (if there is one). There were recent reports that Ross would need surgery to relieve what Swinney had referred to as “stinger symptoms,” but an X-ray showed that Ross was born with congenital fusion in his neck and spine.
Swinney told reporters that doctors are very concerned, and there’s no guarantee Ross will be able to play football again.
Ross has put together two terrific seasons for Clemson, with 1,000 yards receiving (21.7 AVG) and nine touchdowns as a freshman, followed by a 66/865/8 line as a sophomore.
The 6’4″, 205-pounder was projected to be one of the top wide receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft class. In a recent mock draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Ross as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
While this situation will surely be treated with extreme caution, Swinney said there’s hope — if everything goes well — that Ross can return to football by January, and choose between returning to Clemson or entering the NFL Draft.
Hopefully Ross is indeed healthy enough to be able to make such a decision by then, but his long-term well-being should be the priority here.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.