Justyn Ross returning a big boost to D.J. Uiagalelei and Tigers

The NFL will have to wait another year for Justyn Ross

The Clemson Tigers will lose four key offensive pieces to the 2021 NFL Draft in Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Amari Rodgers, and Jackson Carman (among others), but at least they’ll be getting their top receiving threat back next season as Justyn Ross has announced his return.

The 2018 five-star recruit had an electric freshman year, turning his 46 catches into 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up with 66 grabs for 865 yards and eight scores.

Ross missed all of 2020 with a scary spinal injury that put his football career in jeopardy, but has received good reports from his doctors since then and seems confident in his status for 2021. Had Ross decided to enter the 2020 draft, and his medicals had checked out, he would have likely been a first-round pick.

How Justyn Ross will help D.J. Uiagalelei

He stands 6-4 205 pounds and possesses excellent ball skills and great athletic ability. As the Tigers attempt to reload after the departure of Lawrence, Ross will be sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s top target, and another strong season will solidify his status as a first-round prospect.

Dabo Swinney has built an NFL factory at Clemson, and while the team won’t have a Lawrence-level player next season, they’ll still be one of the top programs in college football. Getting Ross back will help soften the blow of the talent exodus this year, and should help jumpstart the career of Uiagalelei as the Tigers gear up for another National Championship run in the future.

Ross has been a player NFL scouts have had their eyes on for a long time. They’ll have to wait one more year before he makes the jump to the pros.