Justyn Ross had run hundreds of times and the hit that changed everything came on a routine slant.
In the spring of 2020, he did not see the linebacker coming, and the force of the collision sent Ross to the turf. Ross thought he had a neck injury and would be back to normal soon.
Ross was taken in for tests to his neck and spine. After a few days, Ross felt well and was ready for practice when coach Dabo Swinney called and asked him to come to his office.
When Ross arrived, he saw the entire medical team sitting there. His mom was on the phone. Ross had no idea what was happening. The doctors explained what they saw on the scans.
This was not a normal football injury.
They told Ross that he had a congenital fusion in his spine. This was the first time that he had scans on his neck and spine, and it showed that he had a problem.
Ross was shocked. He may never play football again. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that people with this condition should avoid activities that can hurt the neck.
Ross listened in disbelief as tears streamed down his face. He played football his entire life. It made no sense that it was no longer safe. Two years earlier, Ross burst onto the scene in the College Football Playoff championship run, combining for 301 receiving yards and four touchdown in a win over Notre Dame and Alabama as a true freshman. After a strong sophomore campaign, he seemed on a glide path to the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the first round of the
He was told he might never wear a uniform again.
Ross said it was heartbreaking.
On a busy day a week before the combine, Ross pulls into a soccer complex for some extra work with his personal coach, TJ Brown. The grass on these fields is nearly perfect for practice, and getting his route running back into top form is the immediate priority.
Within 15 minutes, little girls no older than 10 start arriving for their own after-school practice, and it becomes clear that this field has been reserved specifically for them. Ross decided to stay rather than pack up and leave because he promised to only use a small area in the corner to run his routes.
As Ross works on his burst in the shadow of a soccer net, the girls practice their passing a few yards away, their high ponytails whipping their faces when the wind gusts. Every now and then, he looks at the girls and laughs.
The scene feels completely different -- a wide receiver prospect who was once projected to be a top-15 prospect working out among kids who have no idea who he is, or why he happened upon their field during their normal Tuesday afternoon practice.
Ross ignores the symbolism of the world moving on while he continues to work. There is no room to think about anything else but his belief in what he is doing.
He runs the routes again. And again. And again.
He will play football. He will.
Ross said that once a team gets him, they will get everything out of him.
It might be hard to remember. One of the most difficult players to assess and project heading into the draft on April 28 is Ross, who has not played a full season since his sophomore year of college.
What makes his evaluation more difficult? Ross is attempting to become the first known player to make the NFL with a congenital fusion in his spine.
There is no precedent of another high-level American football player with the condition that Justyn has, according to Dr. David Okonkwo, who performed the surgery on Ross that allowed him to return to play.
There was a chance that surgery to relieve the pressure on his spine would give Ross a chance to play again. There would be no guarantees.
Ross went back to Alabama after the campus was shut down due to the coronaviruses. He continued to work out, telling himself that the doctors would realize they made a mistake and that he did not need surgery. The hit he took was nothing compared to the harder hits in his career, and nothing had ever happened to him.
Something different was said by reality. Over the next several weeks, multiple neurosurgeons told Ross they would not clear him to play football because of the risks. Ross was trying to save his career.
The director of the University of Pittsburgh's Neurological Clinical Trials Center, Okonkwo, was connected with him through the University of Pittsburgh. Ryan Shazier had a surgery performed on him after a hit left him temporarily paralyzed. Shazier regained his ability to walk after playing football.
Ross and his mom traveled to Pittsburgh.
Ross underwent a series of tests to see if he was a candidate for surgery, including X-rays, scans and video analysis of his spine's motion to see if he was a candidate.
It took several months for Okonkwo to make a decision about the surgery.
Franklin said that Dr. Okonkwo made them feel comfortable when they met him. We have the confidence that we can go ahead and do this.
The surgery was done in June 2020. The disc that was removed was pushing back on the space for the spine cord, leaving behind a graft and plate to hold everything together.
The procedure itself is very common, but this particular procedure is very rare.
There are other options, but they are surgeries where no one goes back to play football. This was the best treatment for Justyn Ross as a person, while also preserving the possibility of playing football again.
After flying to Pittsburgh to be with Ross and his mother, Swinney and Woody spoke with Okonkwo.
"I asked him how the surgery went, and he said it went well," Swinney said. He said, "I went 15-0, and I like that answer."
Even if Ross did everything right, there was still a chance he wouldn't be able to play.
After the surgery, the focus was on getting the bones of the spine to heal properly and strengthen the muscles that support the neck and spine.
In order to amplify the healing process, Ross used a device called a bone growth stimulator and also took a treatment that does the same. The stimulator is a necklace that you wear for a few hours a day.
Okonkwo worked with the medical team to make sure Ross was on the right track. Ross had to check in every three months to make sure he was doing well.
In the meantime, the 2020 season had begun, and Ross could only watch from the sideline as his teammates played. It was hard to stop thinking about what he would be doing on the field as he felt helpless.
The Tigers lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was hard not to think how things would have played out if Ross had been available.
He's an elite talent, he's an amazing leaper, unbelievable body control and ball skills. There is a lot of good to say about Justyn Ross as a football player because he is fast and a great finisher on the ball.
Ross didn't know if he would ever get the chance to make those plays again as he watched the entire 2020 season unfold.
He made progress in his rehabilitation and hit every benchmark the medical team laid out for him. He was able to participate in non-contact drills in the spring.
In June 2021, Ross went back to Pittsburgh to take a series of tests to see if his spine had healed enough to play football.
Ross was the only one who felt he could play again. The school hosted a series of meetings to review all of the information, and shared it with Ross and his family, after they were provided multiple assessments and perspectives of his condition. Some doctors did not think Ross should play.
The decision would be made by Ross and his mother.
Justyn is in a position to make his own decision. Can you help someone understand the relationship between their risk and their peers so that they can make a decision for themselves? Every athlete makes a decision. Whether or not you have a spine issue, every one of those football players make a conscious choice to play this sport, knowing that there are risks.
The risk is worth it because Ross wants to put his family in a better position. That is one of the things that can help me do that. I don't want to give up on that.
Franklin was fully supportive of the decision to play again and sat in on every meeting.
Franklin said that he healed the way Dr. Okonkwo wanted him to. I have been watching him play football since he was 4 years old. Justyn knows how to stay safe. I know it can happen. Even if he did not have a neck injury, it is still a risk to hit him the wrong way. If football makes him happy, I will support him.
It took months before Ross got clearance to play. The joy he felt was replaced by agony. Ross found out on the day he was supposed to begin practice that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Ross had trouble breathing and lost 15 pounds because of the virus.
When Ross returned to practice, he did everything he could to prepare for the season opener against Georgia, even though he wasn't in his best physical shape. On the second play of the scrimmage, the coaches designed a play for Ross to get tackled for the first time in 20 months.
He pops right up and everyone breathed.
There was another blow. Ross went to the trainers after he began to feel pain in his left foot. X-Rays showed a problem.
Ross decided to play through the pain and not have surgery. The season in 2021 meant a lot. Even if he wasn't completely healthy, he had to be back on that field to show that he could still play.
Ross said that he felt like he had a point to prove. I had to prove a point and show the world what I can do. I did not say anything about the stress fracture. I kept going.
Franklin was both excited and nervous as she watched the opener in Charlotte.
When he called his mom after the game, Ross only wanted to talk about one thing.
Ross asked if you saw him get hit.
I saw you get hit. She asked if it was exciting.
He said that he got hit and got back up.
The offensive struggles began in the opener. Trainers had to wrap his foot tightly so he could play.
It wasn't the way Ross thought the season would go for him or the offense.
Ross said it was frustrating because he knew he could be the top receiver in college football.
Every game, Ross was relentless, his pain tolerance threshold seemed to reset week after week. The worry went from his neck to his foot. After playing in 10 games, Ross decided to have foot surgery and begin preparing for the draft. He finished the season with a team high in catches and receiving yards and three touchdown catches.
He played with a broken bone in his foot. He just came off a yearlong rehabilitation and then plays with a crack in his foot and you wouldn't know it. He never complained. He just competed.
Ross began his combine training at the athletic training center. While there, his foot injury limited what the trainers and coaches could do with him, but that did not stop him from working on his upper body strength or putting back on the weight he lost last season.
Ross had to work on his 40-yard dash time and all the drills the teams expect him to complete after he was cleared to run again.
Jordan Brown said that he knows what it takes to train to get somewhere. He is a phenomenal athlete, and he is also someone who works his butt off.
TJ Brown, his personal coach and the co-CEO and wide receiver specialist at TopShelf Performance in Atlanta, flew to Texas to help before the combine. On the day they worked out at the soccer field, Brown made sure to specifically drill Ross on getting out of his stance in the right amount of steps, which helps lead to the type of separation that makes Ross such an elite receiver.
TJ Brown said that when Ross has his mind set on something, there's nothing that can get in his way. When you come from nothing and you believe in something, you are going to put your mind to it.
There were no on-field drills for Ross at the combine. He was given another month to prepare after he did that at the pro day. Franklin felt a knot in her throat as she drove from her home in Alabama to support her son. It is going to work out for him.
When and where Ross is drafted depends on the team that wants to take a chance on him. He is aware that some teams don't have him on their draft board. All it takes is one team to call.
Ross is projected as a fourth-round pick by Jordan Reid, who believes the perfect fit would be with Lawrence and the other former teammates in Jacksonville. Ross will be home in Alabama with his family and friends waiting for his phone to ring after the draft.
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