With Justyn Ross out for the year, who will be Trevor Lawrence’s new favorite target?

With Justyn Ross out for the year, who steps up for Clemson football?

There is a big spot to fill on the Clemson football depth chart with the loss of Justyn Ross to spinal surgery. The Athletic’s Grace Raynor reported Ross will have season-ending surgery during Dabo Swinney’s press conference on Monday afternoon where he spent the majority of it discussing the death of George Floyd.

Ross found out he was born with a condition called congenital fusion, stemming from an x-ray he had in the spring after an injury. This is a potentially career-threatening condition for the true junior and Clemson’s No. 1 receiver.

Ross led the team with 66 catches last year as a sophomore when he finishing second in yardage with 865 and touchdowns with eight behind only Tee Higgins. With Higgins off to the NFL, it was Ross who was poised to be the next great Clemson wide receiver. Now, it’s not a guarantee he’ll play again for Clemson or what his NFL future looks like. His doctor is optimistic, but there are no guarantees. What’s certain is Ross will not be the top target for Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers need a new No. 1 to emerge.

Clemson football depth chart shaken up by Justyn Ross injury.

While this is a tough blow for any team, Clemson has the on-field talent and overall depth to overcome losing a player of Ross’ caliber. Despite being the best receiver on the team, he’s only the third-most important offensive player on the 2020 squad behind junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence and senior running back Travis Etienne. Both Heisman contenders have to step up.

Though Lawrence and Etienne will rise to the occasion to offset losing their teammate for the year, the Tigers need to get production out of the receiving corps. But from where? How about senior Amari Rodgers, sophomore Joseph Ngata and true freshman E.J. Williams? Together, they can form the receiving corps to help Lawrence be the first Heisman winner in school history.

Brannon Spector, Frank Ladson and Cornell Powell are other receivers on the Clemson football two-deep depth chart who could see a big increase in targets and playing time.

Rodgers is the seasoned veteran of the bunch. He had 30 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns last year as a junior. Those totals ranked fourth in all categories for the 2019 Tigers. Through three college seasons, he has 104 catches for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns, including a sophomore campaign of 55 grabs for 575 yards and four trips to pay dirt in 2018.

Ngata is coming off his freshman season where he had 17 catches for 240 yards and three touchdown receptions, ranking sixth in all categories on the 2016 Tigers. He’ll be elevated from a tertiary role in the Clemson receiving corps into a prominent one with Higgins going pro, Diondre Overton exhausting his eligibility and Ross being out for the season.

Though Rodgers and Ngata will surely have to step up, perhaps the Tigers can get a boost from the incoming freshman Williams who hails from the same hometown of Phenix City, Alabama as Ross? 247Sports has him as a four-star prospect who was the No. 68 prospect and the No. 13 wide receiver in the country.

Ultimately, Clemson should be in a good position to navigate its ACC schedule and reach the College Football Playoff for the sixth year in a row without Ross playing a down. However, someone like Rodgers, Ngata or the newcomer Williams will need to be ready for their big moment in crunch time. Clemson needs them to collectively step up if the Tigers want to win a national title.

Replacing Ross won’t be easy, but Clemson has the roster to pull this off.

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