Justyn Ross Feeling Great in Return to Clemson Practice

Clemson receiver Justyn Ross stepped onto the practice field for the first time in fall camp Friday.

This time, he wasn't wearing a yellow jersey or a green one. Nope, Ross, who came back from last summer's congenital fusion surgery, was wearing orange only at practice for the first time in 18 months.

"It felt great," Ross said after Friday's practice. "It's the best I've ever felt.

"I feel like the same J-Ross."

Ross watched every game from the sideline last season and had only been able to go through non-contact drills in practice since October 2020, but he had "100 percent confidence" that he would return in full.

"I was ready to get back to work," Ross said. "Being off a year, it took its toll on me."

Technically, the final paperwork to get Ross back on the field was completed Monday, but he had to wait until Friday to begin fall camp because he was in COVID-19 protocol.

"Just more adversity," Ross said. "That's life. It just happens."

Now, he'll have to go through a five-day acclimation period before he can up full pads on, but when it comes time to take that first hit, Ross says he has "no fear." The fusion issue in his spine will always be there, but the doctors corrected it so it won't affect his football career.

But there was a time when he wasn't sure he'd ever play again. Ross "shed a tear" when he was initially told that was a possibility because he's "been working my whole life. To have it taken away from me, that was hard."

However, the surgery went well, and he "always had faith" he'd return.

"I'm in God's hands now," Ross added.

Ross hopes he will be on the field in Charlotte, N.C., against Georgia in the season opener on Sept. 4.

"If it's up to me, I'm ready to play a full, four-quarter game," Ross said.

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