HUSKIES’ ROSS FINDS IT’S BETTER TO RECEIVE
On every football recruiting site there’s a category of player called “ATH,” shorthand for “athlete,” with no irony whatsoever. These players often represent the best and worst of the recruiting process: the promise of versatility and speed every team wants in this era of offensive football but the acknowledgment they lack a defined position and often development of a particular skill set.
Like everyone else labeled as a four-star “athlete,” John Ross signed with Washington in 2013 with fanfare and the expectation that he eventually would figure it out.
Only Ross didn’t figure it out, not before two years of constant position changes, crises of confidence and an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee that sidelined him for the 2015 season.
“Kind of shaky, up and down,” Ross said Tuesday when asked to describe the early part of his career at Washington. “Probably inconsistent.”
Ross didn’t exactly come out of nowhere to become one of the nation’s most productive receivers this year, but it would have been hard to see 76 catches, 1,122 yards and Alabama coach Nick Saban calling him “probably the best receiver we’ve played all year” in advance of the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
“He’s just got some God-given explosiveness that you don’t see very often,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said. “He’s had that all along, but now he’s really become a polished receiver.”
Though it’s not usually a bad thing to be defined by your most precious skill when that skill is elite speed, it was often a double-edged sword for Ross. Starting with Steve Sarkisian’s staff in his freshman year and continuing under Petersen, Washington used Ross in roles that ranged from receiver to slot man to kickoff returner to defensive back.
Ross became somewhat of a jack of all trades but master of none, increasing his knowledge of the game but also breeding confusion about where he excelled.
“My receivers coach was telling me I should be a receiver, my (defensive backs) coach was saying I should be a DB,” Ross said. “That was the most difficult part, not knowing what I was good at. I’d score touchdowns on offense, then not allow a touchdown on defense. Then I’d get scored on and not catch any balls. It was kind of hard knowing where I fit in and what would be best for me for my future and our team.”
Ross was still productive — as a sophomore, he had five offensive touchdowns and two on kickoff returns — but it felt like there was more to give.
“He was really explosive when we got here,” offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith said. “He was great with the ball in his hands. Obviously he was a deep threat at times, but he was raw as a route runner, and that took a little bit of time.”
In November 2014, Ross switched full time to defense, starting four games at cornerback as the Huskies’ depth in the secondary was depleted by injury and attrition. The next spring, Ross was preparing to go back to offense but suffered a non-contact injury that required surgery and kept him out for six months.
Though Ross lobbied to come back midway through a 2015 season in which the Huskies struggled to a 3-4 start, they stuck with the plan to redshirt and come back with a fresh start this year.
Washington knew it was a good decision out of the gates, as Ross, who had bulked up to 190 pounds, had five catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns in a 4813 season-opening win against Rutgers.
“He didn’t play as consistently (in his first two years) as he would have liked,” Smith said. “But when he plays with confidence, he’s lights out. ... We needed to be more explosive this year in the passing game, and having some explosive plays was a turning point, like, hey, this could be really special.”
Ross, who had a combined 33 catches and five touchdowns in 2013 and 2014, is now more than just a pure speed guy. He’s known as a top-notch route runner, which is why his production remained consistent across the season with eight games of 80-plus yards receiving. Washington also will hand off to him on occasion and try to get him in space, which might be a key to keeping Alabama’s defense off balance.
“They move him around, and it’s hard to predict where he’s going to be,” Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt said. “You play man on him, and he wins the 50-50 balls. He’s really good with the ball after the catch. They do a good job with him in the screen game. He’s an instinctive player, but the big thing that tells you what kind of competitive spirit he’s got is the way he blocks in the run game. The guy gets after it in the run game, and that kind of tells you who he really is.”
Now there’s no confusion. Ross is an exceptional athlete, but he’s no longer an “ATH,” even if he didn’t exactly see this kind of season coming.
“I just started believing in myself and understanding my skill set and listening to what the coaches were telling me, buying in, and things started to change,” he said. “I knew I felt different just by going through our player-run practices. I knew I knew more. But you never know how good of a season or how bad of a season you’re going to have. You just have to let the work show up, and I feel like I worked hard and it showed up.”