Swinney: Clemson WR Justyn Ross Nearing Finish Line on Being Cleared to Play

CLEMSON - Justyn Ross hasn't been fully cleared to play in 2021, but head coach Dabo Swinney says the Clemson receiver isn't far away either.

"He's doing great," Swinney said at Tuesday's media outing in Clemson. "Hopefully in the next day or so we'll have the process complete. Any time you have a complicated medical issue like with Mike Williams, you have a lot of i's and a lot of t's and a lot of people who have to sign off on those type of things.

"We're at the finish line."

Ross missed all of 2020 after a congenital fusion issue was found in his neck. He had surgery last summer to correct the condition but has been practicing in a limited fashion with the team since last fall.

At one time, it was unknown if Ross, a first-round NFL talent, could play the game again at all. Now, Swinney is "optimistic" that he'll get the go-ahead to be ready for the season.

"He's had a great summer," Swinney said. "There's nothing he doesn't do. He does all the lifts and everything, all the training. He's in a good place, and we're hopeful he'll get back out there."

There are still medical hurdles to clear to make sure it's safe for Ross to return, and Swinney wouldn't elaborate on how the final doctor visit with the Pittsburgh surgeon went for Ross earlier this summer.

Clemson's leading returning receiver from 2019, Ross has 112 receptions for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career. Ross decided to return to Clemson in the offseason to play another year of college football rather than seeing if he was ready physically at the NFL level.

"I'm proud of him and it inspires me, you know, and encourages me to see a young person, that's doing things the right way," Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said about Ross. "He's kind of doing it the old school way, but it's the right way is make a decision stay committed to your decision, and then just put everything that you have into it and then you let the cards fall where they fall."