Built by Phenix City, Clemson’s Justyn Ross gears up for another national title game
Justyn Ross walks into former Central High School coach Jamey DuBose’s office at the school’s indoor practice facility. It’s summer 2014.
Ross is one of just three individuals throughout Jamey DuBose’s coaching career who have played varsity football without going through the JV ranks, the other two being current Red Devil Joseph McKay and Mississippi State linebacker Erroll Thompson, who played for DuBose at Florence. While young, Ross possesses potential greater than many DuBose has coached.
His basketball background makes high-pointing a ball almost second nature. He makes acrobatic one-handed catches with ease, drawing the awe of his teammates, coaches and, years later, millions of viewers on ESPN.
“I see a lot of great athletes,” DuBose said. “When a Justyn Ross, or a Joseph McKay, or an Erroll Thompson, when those guys come around, there’s very few of them.”
But that summer, Ross wanted to focus solely on basketball. Most of his friends who he grew up playing with were on the JV football team while Ross played on the varsity team.
DuBose and receivers coach Zack Berklin listened as Ross told them his thoughts. Then DuBose walked to the door, stopping in front of it. He wasn’t going to let Ross walk out on him. Not with that much talent.
The meeting lasted about 30 seconds.
Ross was not about to quit football. It’d be the “biggest mistake of his entire life,” his coach told him. Berklin called Ross’ mother, Charay Franklin, saying “Look, Charay, whatever you do, don’t let him (quit). He’s going to make a big mistake if he does.”
“I’m a firm believer that when I see great football talent, I know it’s there,” DuBose said. “I saw it at an early age with Justyn. There was no way I was going to allow him to walk away from the game.”
Ross ultimately stuck with it, and became a pivotal playmaker in Central’s offense. Years later, he’ll take the field with Clemson as the Tigers try for back-to-back national championships as Phenix City, Alabama watches on.
Built by Phenix City
Ross was still a raw prospect when he arrived at Central. He had the talent, but lacked the “little things” as DuBose and Berklin called them. Things like hand placement when breaking off the line of scrimmage or stepping into a route with the correct foot — missteps that keep receivers on the sideline their first season in college.
Berklin coached him to apply basketball principles to the football field. When running routes, the coach would say, think of it as if you’re crossing over the defensive back.
Ross had to learn foot placement, body positioning and how to attack different coverages. He also had to bulk up, as he was still a “tall, skinny guy,” DuBose said. Ross’ coaches taught him small adjustments like not taking a false step and learning how to release off a pressing defensive back.
“Coach Dubose is a great coach and helped me prepare a lot for college,” Ross said. “In my opinion, he should be a college-level coach because that is how he prepares his players. And you can tell by all the players he puts in college.”
Ross played basketball from a young age. His first coach at the YMCA, Lakiesha Richardson, is good friends with Franklin and has known Ross and his parents for years. She took care of Ross while Franklin was deployed with the National Guard during his junior season at Central.
Ross has always been a quiet person, and not much of a talker, Richardson said. He’s quite humble, too: After his return from a torn ACL sustained in December 2015, Ross wanted the signs that read “Welcome back Justyn,” taken down because they brought too much attention to him.
“I’ve never met anybody as humble as him in my life,” Richardson said.
The catch(es)
DuBose remembers watching Ross from across the practice field one evening during the receiver’s junior year. The Red Devils’ wideouts were taking part in a catching drill using a JUGS machine, which shoots footballs at a high velocity to simulate quarterback passes.
Ross caught each pass with one hand, but caught them with his hand atop the football, with a swiping motion “like he was swatting a fly.” That’s when DuBose knew Ross was a special talent.
“I’d been around football for a long time,” DuBose said. “That was something like on ‘Karate Kid.’”
With Clemson leading Alabama 37-16 in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, Ross provided another “Karate Kid” moment, this time in front of a much larger audience.
Tigers freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a third-down pass to Ross, who ran an out route and found himself nearing the sideline. The throw was a bit behind Ross, who reached backward with his right arm and snagged the ball with the palm of his hand, tucking it into his body before an Alabama defensive back could jar it loose.
Ross led the Tigers in receiving that night, with 153 yards and one touchdown.
“It sent chills through my body when he made that one-handed catch on the sideline,” Berklin said. “I was like, ‘That boy’s still doing the same thing he did for us.’”
Representing his hometown
Richardson sat with her husband at Kramer’s Sports Bar in Phenix City on Jan. 7, 2019, as Ross and Clemson steamrolled Alabama 44-16 for the program’s second title in three years.
Census.gov estimates Phenix City’s population to be around 36,000 as of 2018, most of which likely roots for Alabama or Auburn. Richardson found herself amidst a sea of crimson-dressed Alabama fans that night, but nothing was going to stop her from sporting her Clemson jersey.
Franklin stood in the stands inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California that night. She laughs when she says that last year was the first time Ross’ talent dawned on her. She’d always thought of him as her son. Her “baby boy, just playing football.”
“I was so proud of him that day,” Franklin said.
Berklin still gets emotional when he sees Ross play on national television. He texts the sophomore before each game: “Good luck, man. Let the game come to you, and go out there and have fun.” Ross texts back: “I got you, coach.”
Franklin will be in New Orleans for Monday night’s Clemson-LSU game (8 p.m., ESPN). DuBose, Berklin and Richardson all plan to watch it. On a night in which most of the nation’s eyes will be fixated on Heisman winner Joe Burrow and the LSU offense, a small town in east Alabama will be locked in on the 6-foot-4 receiver with each Clemson offensive snap.
“(Phenix City) wasn’t so much of a big city. We had to work for everything we had. It helped me perform a lot on the next level,” Ross said. “I feel like everyone is behind me and everyone is rooting for me even when I am playing Alabama. It just shows what type of city it is.”
When does Clemson play LSU?
Who: Clemson vs. LSU
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans
TV channel: ESPN
Betting line: LSU by 6
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Built by Phenix City, Clemson’s Justyn Ross gears up for another national title game."
