Justyn Ross is just a few days away from taking the field for his first game action in close to 20 months.
When Clemson’s star wide receiver lines up against Georgia in Saturday’s game between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs in Charlotte, it will be Ross’s first game since Jan. 13, 2020, when he played in the national championship game vs. LSU.
Ross, who missed all of the 2020 season due to a congenital spinal issue which required surgery in June of 2020, was cleared to play full contact football by his doctors this past June and was given the green light by Clemson University just prior to the start of fall camp.
The preseason All-American returned to practice on Aug. 13 and has been eagerly awaiting Saturday’s game against UGA, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said following Wednesday’s practice.
“He’s been excited since day one,” Swinney said. “He’s been ready to play since day one.”
It’s been a long road back for Ross, and he has overcome a lot to get back on the field.
Swinney — who admitted he didn’t think Ross would ever play football again when he was initially diagnosed with the congenital fusion condition — looks forward to watching Ross play during his comeback season in 2021.
“I’m just really proud of him and just appreciate his example,” Swinney said. “It’s one thing to have passion about doing something. It’s another thing to have perseverance to go with it, and it takes both. You can’t just have passion – you’ve got to persevere during some point as well. Man, he has truly persevered through so much to this point, and it’s just a blessing to watch him, and excited to see him have a great year.”
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