Clemson losing Justyn Ross could have national title and Heisman Trophy implications

Crushing news for the Clemson football team for this season as spectacular wideout Justyn Ross will not be able to play for the Tigers, and his football career might be over. Ross suffered a stinger this spring, and when he had X-rays learned that he was born with congenital fusion in his neck/spine. He will have surgery on Friday.

"The frustrating thing for Justyn is that he feels perfectly fine," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said at a press conference Monday.

Ross burst on to the national scene in the College Football Playoff following the 2018 regular season as a freshman. He torched Notre Dame for six catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns in the semifinal and then had six catches for 153 yards and a TD in the title game win over Alabama. Ross finished with exactly 1,000 yards receiving on the season with nine scores. Last year, he caught 66 passes for 865 yards and eight TDs.

The news didn't change Clemson's William Hill sportsbook odds to win the national title as the Tigers remain +225 favorites. And it didn't affect the Heisman odds of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is the +400 second-favorite on the moneyline to Ohio State's Justin Fields. There's no question, though, that this could help derail Clemson's title shot as well as Lawrence's Heisman chances.

Ross was projected as a likely first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. On the CBS Sports Big Board, Ross was ranked as the No. 15 overall prospect. In theory he could redshirt this year and return to Clemson but his career could be in jeopardy. "In January, Justyn will have a decision to make," Swinney said of Ross perhaps declaring for next year's draft.  

Lawrence already is without his top wideout from last year in Tee Higgins, who caught 59 passes for 1,167 yards and 13 scores in 2019. Higgins was the No. 33 overall pick in April's draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Clemson is set to open Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech. 

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